Time's Sky
by maravelous
Summary: AU; Their capabilities resulted in the devastation of their world, and the love that kept them alive. — NejiTen & ShikaTema
1. Heaven's Crew

Time Sky  
_By Mara_

Heaven's Crew  
_Some things in life you could not avoid. The Crew tried to find them. _  
_It was like running at black ice. If there was ice at all anymore._

* * *

TenTen liked Hinata's necklace. It was a long silvery-white chord that reflected the air like a melted pearl, and at the end was a little charm shaped like a blackbird, cut from sea shell. Hinata said it used to hang on a silver chain, but that was long gone now.

TenTen said that it matched her eyes. It did. Hinata had a Hyuuga's eyes. A mixture of lavender and milky-white that delved so deep and meaningful that TenTen felt almost guilty looking at them sometimes. They had no pupils, and yet Hinata could see just fine, she constantly reminded her somewhat anxious friends.

But TenTen also _hated_ that necklace. It reminded her of the birds, and that wasn't something she enjoyed to think about, because at the moment, birds were in short supply. That was because bird bones were the most expensive product in the world right now. Any bird would do, any breed. Because bird bones were scientifically named as the newest replacement for manure. And that meant food. And that meant people would kill for it.

Ever since Tsunade and Orochimaru of the two greatest nations in the world, Konoha and Sound, had declared a world war, food in Konoha had only been saved for the army. The demand for crops like corn and rice, Konoha's most popular exports, had gone up so drastically that farmers had no time to make it.

Soon enough the draft came. Everyone over twenty one had to go serve their country. Fortunately for TenTen, the oldest of her group, she was twenty. However she knew it was about time before they came for her.

And so, the economic crisis began. A person was either very rich because someone in their family was part of the army or the police force, or you were very poor for no reason whatsoever. That was how it was. That was how it would stay until they finally all killed each other. Again, TenTen knew it was only a matter of time.

TenTen's 'group', she had named meticulously, was _The Crew_. TenTen's gang of thieves. They stole from the rich to survive, traveling weekly from the slums of the backwashed city streets to the fertile suburbs of the rich to take what they could find without being caught. They staked out in an abandoned motel together on the far side of the ruins of some downtown.

TenTen now sat in bed, watching Hinata's necklace dangling from the girl's neck as she tied on her shoes, midnight-blue hair flowing down over her shoulders. TenTen's own hair was up in two buns, chocolate brown and matching her set of big, glittering eyes. Both of them said little, groggy with the morning. The alarm clock on the table between their beds read 5:08 in blinking green letters, and they dressed from the tattered, dirty clothes thrown untidily into their wardrobe. They shared clothes, never caring. It was always a colored tee-shirt over jeans and sneakers, and a heavy jacket to go over that.

When Hinata finally tightened her laces she rose expectantly, and TenTen stood and stretched, lengthening her tightened muscles in her back and arms, then finally sighed, knowing it was time to wake up. "Breakfast time…" she mumbled almost cheerfully, opening the door to the room.

The motel complex was basically just a stretch of sidewalk in a box around the main office building with the front desk, motel rooms popping out in pockets from the square evenly. They chose to fill up just one side of the square, where there were five motel rooms, so they would all be close to each other. Two people had to partner up in a room with another person, the other three got their own to themselves.

Every morning at five, they had to wake up and walk across the parking lot to the office building where they would eat what was available in the mini-fridge they'd snagged from the streets, broken and pathetic, and sloppily put back together, not to create cold, since electricity was no more in this area, but to keep food compacted and at least semi-edible.

It was cold outside. TenTen guessed it was around November as she and Hinata walked the short distance to the small brick building on the plot. It would be worse when it turned to December. She found herself wondering sometimes if there used to be grass here. Probably. There used to be grass everywhere. It was green, she remembered, concentrating on her breath fogging the air in front of her. There was food. It was _easy_ to survive.

"G'morning."

TenTen and Hinata were greeted by two young men sitting sleepily at the chipped wooden table in the middle of the office as they entered, closing the glass door quickly and trying their best to warm up.

One of them had dark hair styled strangely in the back and eyes that shined with the hatred of coal in a fireplace. The other Hinata blushed to see. His hair was the color of golden corn and his eyes sparkled, blue like what the sky was supposed to be. Beneath all the smoke and polluted clouds carrying acid rain. Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki. Both nineteen, just like the rest of the gang, besides TenTen. They roomed together in the plot next to TenTen and Hinata.

"So how much of that cheesecake is left?" TenTen asked as she crossed over behind the desk and leaned down to wrench the mini-fridge open. Hinata hurried to catch up with her, almost as if she was hiding from the two men at the table. TenTen was used to that by now. Hinata always got a little more timid around men, Naruto especially.

"Eh, Sai ate the rest last night." Naruto said. "Don't bother."

TenTen pouted her lips, disappointed. "Damn, I'd like to eat something _good_ for breakfast for once." she mumbled, pulling out two bits of cornbread and handing one to Hinata, also extracting a jug of orange juice.

"Hey, we had to eat the same crap, so don't get all mad at us." Sasuke muttered from the table, crossing his arms on the wood. There were four chairs there, so Hinata and TenTen sat down with them. Sasuke turned back to looking out the window next to him gloomily, watching the sun rising and the sky slowly getting lighter by the second.

TenTen sighed and began to eat the tasteless food. His parents had both been drafted before Naruto, TenTen's long-time childhood friend and an orphan since birth, found him alone on the streets and brought him in. Sasuke and Naruto fought a lot, but they were good friends obviously, from rooming together and living with each other, and after weeks and weeks of forced bonding.

Naruto, though he was an idiot, had a knack for finding people, TenTen had to admit. He'd also found Hinata alone on the streets, abandoned by her family, who was one of the richer ones, and he'd taken her in immediately with a kind hand to hold. Ever since she'd been particularly close to TenTen, who'd taken a bit of a motherly complex towards the younger girl, but she'd always admired Naruto the most.

"Cornbread again, huh?"

TenTen smiled as another girl entered. She had cherry-red hair and dark eyes behind thick glasses, and she gave a disgusted look to the food she'd spotted in Hinata's hand. Karin, another one of TenTen's childhood friends. The two commonly got in arguments, since Karin was a bit _too _outspoken against TenTen's authority at times, but they were all close, and she too seemed to have a bit of a protective side over Hinata. She served, somewhat, as the rule of law in their little gang. What she said went, or you'd be punished sternly. However, there was one flaw in her tough personality.

"Good morning, Sasuke…" Her hand slid slyly over the back of Sasuke's chair and she giggled like a five year old girl as she danced over to the counter. She glared at Naruto, though, snapping out of her little state, and added, "Brush your hair, kid."

That flaw was that she was completely obsessed with Sasuke. TenTen didn't doubt she'd kill herself for the man.

"Yup, it's cornbread again. Delish." TenTen said, waving the morsel in the air before sticking a corner of it in her mouth.

"I guess it'll do. Better than nothing." Karin muttered, bending down and retrieving some of her own from the fridge on the ground behind the desk. She stood up again and leaned against the counter, seeing all the chairs were currently occupied but not protesting, and she looked around. "Hey, where's Sai and Shino? Shouldn't they be here already?"

"Shino's most likely skipping breakfast again, he's been feeling sick ever since he drank that stale milk Naruto brought back from the streets." TenTen said, rolling her eyes and punching Naruto's arm, who stuck his tongue out indignantly but was too tired to say anything. "Sai's probably sleeping in. As usual."

"Are they _high_? Do they _want _to starve?"

"Sometimes I wonder that." Sasuke responded calmly.

"I'll be right back, I'm gonna go get their stupid asses in here." Karin snapped, setting down her cornbread on the counter carelessly. "Don't touch my food or I'll slap you!" she added loudly as she exited.

TenTen sighed. "Geeze…"

"But she does have a point, TenTen." Hinata said quietly, nervously. "They need to eat. There are plenty of people who would kill for this kind of food."

"I'm completely aware of that." TenTen said slowly. She gazed out the window. Just staring. Remembering.

* * *

"_Mom, why are they here?" TenTen asked in a whisper. Her mother pressed her to her breasts, which rose and fell rapidly. The stench of blood. The sound of a gunshot just outside the door. Her mother's quick inhale and sob._

"_They got dad, didn't they?" TenTen asked, tears pricking her eyes. It was getting too tight in the closet they were hiding in. She felt like she was suffocating. But she knew she had to stay here. Hush. Sleep tight. Those were the words she wanted to hear. It was just a dream. Nothing was wrong._

_TenTen looked up. Her mother's tears fell onto her face, mixing with the fresh blood that had been drawn from a long scratch from the rise of her cheekbone to the bottom of her chin, stinging brightly, the skin torn and ripped clear away from a fingernail. But TenTen had gotten them back. She could feel a man's skin beneath her own nails, the man she had clawed at to get away from, to her mother, who had dragged her away and up the stairs and into her room, boarding it up and fleeing to the walk-in closet._

"_Mom?" TenTen tried weakly._

_Her mother didn't speak, but pressed a hand to TenTen's mouth. TenTen was scared. But she was angry, and she couldn't believe what the police were doing. They'd stormed into her house with a vague warrant and demanded that all occupants twenty one and older were to join the army immediately or they would be arrested. Her parents had refused, and the officers suddenly began to use force. And since this family was one that fought back, the officers had revealed their weapons._

"_The other two in this house, come out now or we'll shoot every nook and cranny!" A man's gruff voice came from outside the door. "We are under protection from the law to do this, there is no need to resist!" There was a pause as they waited. "Come out now with your ID's! This is your last warning!"_

_TenTen's mother gave another small sob and let go of TenTen suddenly, pressing her daughter back into the clothing and covering her up with jackets and shirts and jeans that they'd never need again. TenTen didn't move. She wasn't cowardly. But she knew what her mother wanted._

"_Fine. I'm coming, please don't shoot me…" her mother's quick, desperate voice faded as the door to the closet opened, light flooding in, before disappearing and leaving TenTen in the dark._

* * *

"And honestly, could you not slouch so much, Shino? I know you're not feeling well, but that's no reason to disgrace yourself like that. Oh don't give me that look, you _know_ food will be good for your stomach, you need to stay healthy! Sai, stop _yawning_ would you?"

TenTen turned away from staring at her reflection in the glass of the window to Karin bringing in two black-haired young men. One had tinted glasses on, covering his eyes, and half his chin was hidden in a high collared, sea-foam-green rain-jacket that he insisted his father had forced him to keep before going off to war. The other was dressed in tight black, and his pasty skin showed everyone how unhealthy he was. It was hard to _be_ healthy, now, of course.

Shino Abarame and Sai. Sai was Karin's cousin, and good friends with Shino. Sai was a very sarcastic guy with a slightly cheerful attitude. Shino, on the other hand, was dark and distant like Sasuke, except Shino barely ever spoke and did not have a temper in the slightest.

All of The Crew together now, TenTen felt a little more comfortable. A little less cold. A little less nervous that they could be taken away as well. And so they all settled down to eat their small breakfast and drink short sips from the same cardboard jug of orange juice. Not caring of hygiene or germs, but of life, and how to keep it.

* * *

_It was dark. The middle of the night was terrifying to TenTen, and as she crept out of her house, the floors creaking ominously, she wished for light. And yet she knew even the smallest bit of light would give her away, so she wished for darkness._

_The windows were still broken. The glass glittered on the floor like crystals and diamonds of some lost child's fairy tale dreams, reflecting the moonlight that barely got to sink through the heavy, unnaturally black clouds. You could see no stars. And even if you could, the flashes from the city prevented it._

_It was like the gutters. She peered through the window and gazed upon the streets. Everything shined from the rain of a few hours before. Every window and door was broken. There were a few bodies in the streets. A child, yet to turn five, stumbled along. Eyes big. Lost. Confused. Hungry. But TenTen did not pity him. She felt the same._

_She left the window to step slowly downstairs. It was quiet. The large grandfather clock her great aunt had given her mother twelve years ago was smashed. It had fallen face first to the ground. A few chairs were overturned. Pillows thrown to the side. A table that had been used as defense lying on its side, legs broken._

_TenTen made her way through the wreckage. She saw blood on the wall of the kitchen and turned away, closing her eyes and placing a hand to her throat, feeling her pulse pounding against her fingers. That was her father's body in there. She didn't want to think about it. It made her stomach churn just seeing the blood._

_She kept going and soon enough she got to the damp porch. A heavy drop of rain plopped onto her head and slid down the sides of her cheeks, washing the dried blood that was caked against her chin away. Her swollen lips parted as she stared._

"_Naruto!"_

_There he was, her good friend from school, walking along with his hands in his pockets and a dark expression on his face, kicking a stone lightly, which landed in a puddle on the side of the curb. He looked up at his name and his angry face broke into one of immense relief and happiness._

"_Oh my god, TenTen!"_

_She ran at him and they embraced quickly. She wanted to cry but stopped herself as he squeezed her half to death._

"_You're safe! I can't believe it!" Naruto said, grinning widely as he looked down at her._

"_You are too?!" she retorted, returning his smile._

"_I have no parents, remember? They didn't come for me." Naruto said grimly. "But I heard my neighbors screaming. They had a little boy, a newborn, only four months old. They had to leave him or they were going to be shot to death. So they left him. I'm sure he's gonna die now."_

"_We can't worry about him." TenTen said, parting from Naruto and hugging her arms to herself. "We have to worry about ourselves, or we could die too."_

"_I know…" Naruto said quietly staring at his shoes. Then he looked up. "You're sticking with me, right?"_

_TenTen nodded. "Of course I am. There's no one else."_

_Naruto smiled in relief, then frowned. "Your parents were taken, though."_

"_My mom was. My dad…"_

_Naruto's eyes widened. "No…"_

"_They shot him. He's dead." TenTen mumbled. She'd already cried enough for that night, though, spending hours alone in the closet, so she changed the subject. "You know, it's kind of funny…In two weeks, I was going to start college…"_

"_Yup. And I was gonna start my senior year in High School…" Naruto said, sighing and crossing his arms behind his head. TenTen was thankful that she was so close to him, as stupid as he could be at times; he knew her well enough to know she didn't want to talk about her father at the moment. Maybe later. Not now._

* * *

"Well, looks like it's that time of week again." said Sai as TenTen entered the office with numerous items in her arms, which she dropped on the desk.

At the table, Sasuke and Naruto were playing cards, Sai and Shino watching them, and Karin and Hinata both sat on the counter precariously, Karin braiding Hinata's hair. Everyone looked over as TenTen exhaled slowly and put her hands on her hips. The sun was now in the sky, and it was bright enough to start their job for the day.

"Yup." TenTen said, businesslike. "Everyone grab one."

On the desk were ten dark green vests. They shined in the light from the window and looked hard to the touch and heavy to wear. These were just one of the newest products made to recruit people to war, to join the forces. Brainwashing material, TenTen called it. But it _was_ useful. Bullet proof and water resistant, and not that bad looking either. Also extremely warm, perfect for the impending winter.

TenTen grabbed a vest for herself and slipped it on over her shoulders. It was as heavy as it looked, and stiff, but since her arms were free it was easier to move in. And this was their only way to be protected.

Everyone else took their own and shrugged them on over their jackets. They all then grabbed a worn out shoulder bag and slung them over their arms. TenTen turned to her gang and grinned.

"Let's show them whose ass their kicking, huh?"

* * *

"_Karin! Karin!"_

"_I don't think she can hear us, Naruto." TenTen said. She and Naruto stood on top of a hill gazing down at their good friend Karin, who was with two other men they didn't recognize. They'd walked far from the ruins of the city, away from where they knew the police were parading to next._

"_Why not? Karin! Karin, come on!" _

_Said girl had their back to the two, walking through the rubble, picking things from the ground and looking them over before throwing them off to the side again. Probably looking for something to eat, TenTen thought glumly. She wasn't going to get anywhere…_

"_Naruto, stop yelling, you're giving me a headache."_

"_Aw shut up, TenTen, Karin's going the wrong way! She should be going this way, not that way!" Naruto cried, waving his arms in the air. "Karin, come on, come on! Damn it!"_

"_Naruto, stop, I know how to get her attention, okay?" TenTen said sternly. "Your voice just isn't loud enough to echo all the way down there. Here." She picked up a piece of something burnt from the side of the road. It looked like it used to be a leg of a rocking chair, but now it was just so charred she couldn't tell. She broke off a chunk easily and took it in her hand, gazing down at Karin below them. She tilted her head to the side, then in one swift motion, let it loose, sailing through the air and hitting the ground behind them._

_Karin jumped visibly and whipped around. Naruto grinned. "Karin! Hey, Karin!"_

_At last, she saw them._

* * *

"I hate Sundays…" Naruto grumbled as they all trudged along the sidewalk. They were aiming towards a large iron gate in the distance; the way into the suburbs. There were no cars down the street they walked. The sidewalks and roads were ruined, the cement ripped from knives and weapons. Trashcans rolled along in the wind like tumbleweeds.

"Trust me, you're not the only one." Sasuke growled.

As they walked TenTen looked down to see two young boys cowering over a little plot of dirt that lay pathetically on the curb. On top of the dirt they were laying bones. Bird bones. TenTen grimaced a bit. She found that sick. Usually the factory product was packaged in a plastic bag in the form of a fine, white powder, the bones having been crushed. Yet people, hearing this new form of manure, started shooting birds and ripping the bones from their bodies, desperate to grow food and make money. If they didn't have weapons, they'd trap the bird in a box with bait beneath it and snap its neck. TenTen hoped she'd never have to resort to something like that.

An elderly man was stumbling around with a broken beer bottle clutched tightly in his left hand. He was drunk, and he laughed sloppily as he saw their vests. "Try all you want, they don't…don like ya'll pokin' round in their gardens…!" he slurred, pointing a free hand towards Karin, who wrinkled her nose in disgust at the man and was pushed along by Sasuke.

"That's good for them." TenTen said calmly, the rest of the gang ignoring the man completely. He was thin, bony, his grey beard snagging on the zipper of his jacket. TenTen almost pitied him, but they moved right along.

A woman was screaming and sobbing in the middle of the street farther up, holding a newborn baby. To random passersby she'd grab their clothes and clutch on to them, pleading with them to take her child. Shrieking they'd come for her soon. Wailing about her husband, of death, and describing in thin cackles the smell of a human being's insides.

With all the sick despair around them, people came and went ignoring the few here and there that had lost their minds at last. And TenTen's Crew just marched along like soldiers. Not proud, but not caring.

The city was getting less and less traumatic the closer they got to the gates, and soon enough it was actually pretty quiet. But that was when the gang got more wary.

"Okay, guys, you know what to do." TenTen said, heaving a sigh. They'd done this so much she wasn't nervous anymore.

When they got to the iron gates they gazed up. The gates were huge, black and thick and ominous, reaching tall and frightening to the clouds. The one flaw was that people could slip through the iron bars. It wasn't that hard. However the police were stationed everywhere inside the suburbs, and there were thieves and bandits by the thousands that were more violent than TenTen's Crew. And there was currently being created technological weapons that The Crew couldn't even begin to imagine. However, they had seen their share of horror stories. They knew what to do.

As they climbed cautiously over the lowest setting of the gate and slipping sideways through the bars, TenTen said slowly, "Let's get that cheesecake again."

* * *

"_So it's settled. We'll stick together."_

_Karin had climbed up the slippery hill, finally reaching them and reuniting with her two friends before introducing them to her cousin Sai and his friend Shino. From atop the hill, TenTen could see the buildings of the city she used to think was safe when she was a child but which slowly had transformed itself from inside out into one huge concentration camp. Smoke and dust fell around them mixed with ashes, like black and grey snow. Fires here and there shined off on the horizon. A child's loud sobbing echoed down the streets._

"_What do we do now, though?" Sai asked. His face was covered with filth. Karin said she'd found him underneath a building that had been burned to the ground, Shino trying to dig him out. His left shoulder was covered in dried blood._

"_Yeah. Where should we go from here?" Naruto asked._

_TenTen frowned, searching her best, with the little moonlight they had, the entire city. As she looked further South, she could see something in the distance. It was hard to tell it was really there, but it was something. A square._

_She smiled._

"_That looks safe."_

* * *

"Run, guys! Meet up outside the gate!" TenTen cried, and she tried not to laugh with exhilaration as she and her crew fled from the market, where a chubby, elderly baker cursed after them. The marketplace of their city's suburbs was just a bunch of stands where people came to sell new inventions or food. TenTen's bag was heavy, stuffed with food, as she fled, two long paper bags of baguettes tucked under one arm and a bottle of milk in the other hand.

A grin was on her face as she flew down the streets, knowing for sure The Crew would make it alright by themselves, through the tall brick buildings, slipping down alleys and, hearing the noises of people following her, tumbling around a corner and diving behind a small restaurant. She slid to a stop and leaned over, chest heaving, trying to catch her breath and shift her stolen goods into more sturdy positions. "Whew…whew…haha…whew…" She laughed as she exhaled all her fears. Adrenaline was a pleasure sometimes. There was no means of entertainment back home, so this was all she had.

She heard whoever was following her retreat, and she sighed. She'd just have to sneak around the other side of the building and try to make it to the gates without being seen. She backed up slowly, keeping an eye on the opening of the back alley.

All of a sudden, her foot landed, behind her, on something soft…

"Ah!"

"What?!"

She whipped around, and someone else behind her did as well. Unfortunately they were too close to each other, and they both fell, crashing onto the cement. TenTen swore as she opened her eyes and saw the baguettes roll away and the bottle of milk slam into the ground and smash open, the white liquid slowly flowing out.

She clambered to her knees, grabbing the baguettes quickly and scurrying away from whoever she'd tripped over. She stared. It was a man, long coffee-brown hair up in a high pony tail. His face was long, oval and pale, and his features were gentle, from the way his nose dipped long, smooth and straight to his perfect pair of pale lips. He was handsome, she had to give him that. And the glass from the milk bottle had cut his hand, which he was clutching tenderly. But all those qualities weren't what shocked her.

His eyes where white.

"…Who are you…?" he asked slowly, sharing the same surprised look as her as he got to his feet warily, still holding onto his hand and eyeing her vest. He wasn't dressed nicely, so she could tell he must've been another thief. He simply wore a thin, beige sweatshirt and jeans, and the jeans were torn at the bottom. He obviously had it off just as bad as TenTen. But he wasn't attacking, so he wasn't one of _those_. She needn't fear him.

"TenTen." she said simply.

"…Neji." he responded almost reluctantly, rubbing his shoulder.

"Are you a Hyuuga?" TenTen asked almost immediately, in a rush.

Neji stared at her. "…How…do you know that...?"

Suddenly two blackbirds fluttered from the roof into the sky, and the two seemed to be shaken from their trances. Birds were never seen. Birds were rare, let alone animals at all. And if a bird was seen, everyone knew it was just going to be killed for the bones.

Birds were a dying species.

"You can tell me that later, right now we'll have to get out of here…"

"Y-Yeah…" She glanced down at the destroyed milk bottle and sighed. Neji seemed to notice but said nothing, and she shifted the baguettes awkwardly. "I was gonna go that way…"

"You shouldn't, there's a couple people having a chat around the corner, they'd see you for sure." Neji said wisely, understanding she was a thief. TenTen wondered what _he'd_ stolen. He didn't seem to have anything on him. She wondered if he was with anyone at the moment, either. But this wasn't the time for wondering.

"This way then…?" she asked almost shyly.

"Yeah." he said shortly.

She bit her lip. She didn't know if she should help this guy out or not. If she should run with him, make him run with her…

"Now!"

All at once his free hand was grabbing hers and he yanked her out of the alley. They were running hand in hand through the alleys, into the main road, past surprised passerby, down the sidewalks, through the streets, and towards the gate. She saw immediately The Crew waving her over eagerly, and she smiled. They let go of each other to slip through, TenTen slower and having more trouble since she had everything in her hands, but soon she got through and the two stopped to catch their breaths.

The Crew ran over to TenTen. "TenTen, what the heck took you so long?" Karin snapped as they came to a stop, waiting for her to recover. They saw Neji next to her and Karin raised a brow delicately. "TenTen…?"

"J-J-Just let me…breath…!" she gasped, nearly collapsing to the ground. Neji was in the same state. Lungs burning, hearts aching. It was too much running for people that didn't make a career out of it.

"Neji! Thank God you're okay!"

Everyone looked over at two young men. One was a brunette and quite muscular-looking, the other a red-head with a tattoo on his forehead. They each stopped by him, the brunette putting a hand to Neji's back as he straightened up.

TenTen looked up at Neji as he watched her getting back to her feet. "Th…Thanks…" she said finally. "For, uh, helping me out."

"Yeah…" he said. They both just stared at each other. Her skin felt tingly, her stomach twisted like she was being tickled, and her brain just fogged for a bit. There was something about him that just gave her some strange sensation.

She shook the feeling from herself eventually and watched him, dumping her goods on the ground carelessly. "You're a Hyuuga." she said. She turned around, seeing Hinata peering nervously over Karin's shoulder. "Hinata, this guy's a Hyuuga."

Hinata gasped and edged closer, staring. "You are from my family…?"

Neji's eyes widened. "You're a Hyuuga too…?" he asked slowly, shocked.

"Whoa, so you're related to Hinata some way, right? Cool, Hinata, someone from your family that's not a complete jackass!" Naruto suddenly flung an arm across the girl's shoulders, who blushed and stuttered, trying to stand straight. Karin and TenTen shared a look before turning to watch Neji. He wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, his long bangs that framed his face attractively sticky with perspiration. Now TenTen could see a green tattoo across his forehead.

* * *

"Ah. So you ran away from home." Hinata said softly. The Crew and Neji and his two friends were walking through the city again, away from the suburbs. Hinata had told the man she was somehow related to how she had been kicked out, and Neji had in return told them a tale of his father's death in the Hyuuga complex, running away, and bumping into the two brothers Gaara and Kankerou by coincidence, who had been lost at birth and had no parents to speak of.

"Yes. I've been traveling with these two for a year now." Neji said as they walked.

"Gaara's eighteen, I'm nineteen, and Neji's twenty." Kankerou said. It was custom, now, to say your age. The older you were, the more pity people had for you.

"Ironic. TenTen's twenty as well." Karin said, pointing to the older woman, who smiled sheepishly.

"When do you turn twenty one?" Neji asked curiously.

"March." TenTen responded.

"July." he said. He sighed. "It looks like we both have a ways to go, huh."

TenTen watched him. He knew how she felt. The fear of them coming for you soon. A birthday wasn't something to celebrate, nowadays. You didn't have to have a record. They had their trackers, little detectors quite like electromagnetic detectors that they'd wave in front of you to tell how old you were _exactly_. Technology was advancing, though the looks of the slums did not exactly seem so.

"Well either way…" TenTen said, seeing Neji still holding his wounded hand gingerly. "It's my fault that you're cut, so I might as well let you stay the night at our place."

"You all crash somewhere every night?" Kankerou asked, seeming surprised as they trudged past a crowd. They were all distracted by the group of people and stopped walking to watch the little circle.

"What's going on…?" Hinata asked somewhat nervously, hiding behind Karin's shoulders again. "What is it?"

"It's okay, Hinata." TenTen said reassuringly, holding up a hand. "Let's watch…I think that's…"

Suddenly they caught sight of the man in the middle. He was the same elderly man from before. He was grinning with his yellow mouth, lips shriveled and cracked and bleeding and his rotted black teeth missing. His hand that wasn't still clinging to the broken bottle like a child and his teddy bear was knotted in a woman's hair; the woman that had been sobbing and shrieking on the street with her baby not too long before. There was something wrong with her neck…

"Oh my god…" Hinata gasped, and she hid her face in Karin's neck, shuddering. Karin turned her face away as well, whimpering.

"Sick fuck…" Sasuke hissed as Naruto swore and Shino and Sai both stared at the ground.

TenTen swallowed hard, her hand shaking; a piece of glass from the beer bottle was wedged in the woman's throat, blood pouring out from the severed skin, the woman's eyes rolling back into her head, dying slowly, skin paling as the crowd of people just stared as if in awe.

"Ah! Haha! Ah!" The man was laughing wildly as he spun around to face the crowd staring at him. "Look! Haha! Wow! She's dead, right? Her blood isn't green, is it? She's not an alien, is she? Wow! Haha!" One eye spun crookedly in his head. Blood trickled from his nose. He was dying. Something was wrong with him. He was insane. His brain was fucked. That was all the excuses TenTen could come up with.

And his yellow eye spotted them standing off in the street and he laughed seeing the blood on Neji's hand, a gleeful laugh that raked at their eardrums. "I told you! Din I? Din I?! I told ya'll they…they don like it, they don like it! Stay out o their…their vegetables…"

He mumbled something incoherent under his breath. TenTen was still paralyzed as he swiveled the woman's head around dangerously. She was probably dead by now. He flung the beer bottle towards the gang, which smashed at TenTen's feet. She couldn't move. She hated seeing things like this. Where was the baby? The woman was dead. Where was her child?

"Come on." Neji's hand suddenly grasped her elbow. "Are you alright? Come on."

"Y…Yeah…Let's get out of here…" she said distractedly, and he let go of her. They all walked away slowly, Hinata and Karin both obviously terrified. Naruto tried to consol Hinata, only getting her to flush bright red.

* * *

"Home sweet home." Sai said as he entered the main office and threw his vest to the side.

"Stop being so happy." Karin muttered as he dumped her bag onto the table. Sai did the same, then everyone else dropped their stolen food as well.

"No need to be so depressing, Karin, really." Sai said, sitting at the table as TenTen entered with Neji, Gaara and Kankerou, who were gazing around the place like they were lost. They hadn't seen a 'home' in a while.

"Come on, I have a First Aid Kit behind the desk." TenTen said to Neji, and he followed her around.

"They still make those things?" he asked. "I thought they stopped selling them."

"Yeah, but you can still find a few around the city if you look hard enough." TenTen said conversationally as she dug around. "Just like most things they used to sell."

Neji spotted the mini-fridge and TenTen noticed him eyeing it and sighed, straightening up. She watched him. He didn't notice, seeming interested. A look of longing in his eyes. He was skinny. Too skinny. Unhealthily pale and drawn.

"…Go ahead, dig in."

"What?" he asked, snapping his attention back to her. But his stomach growled, and he winced.

"You three can eat if you want." TenTen insisted, now addressing Neji, Gaara and Kankerou all together. "I dunno when you ate last, and we're low on food, but…Well, you helped me out, and we _just_ got a bunch more, so you can have the last of whatever's in there."

"TenTen…" Karin hissed as Naruto glared at Kankerou who grinned and rubbed his stomach.

"No, it's alright, we can't eat your food." Neji said, holding up his hands. "There's too little now, this is no time to be-"

"Just eat it, would you?" TenTen asked. "People would kill for an offer like this!"

Neji stared at her, glanced at his two eager friends, then sighed. "Alright…"

"But first, you fix up your hand." Karin shrieked before Kankerou scurried over to the fridge excitedly. "Don't get blood all over the place, that's _sick_!"

* * *

All of them figured out soon enough that Neji, Kankerou and Gaara were an extremely likeable trio.

Neji was sweet, TenTen noticed as she sat at the table watching him across from her talking to Sasuke conversationally. He'd only eaten what Kankerou and Gaara didn't eat, and only when they insisted he eat more did her oblige. He was smart. Witty. His smile was rare, but whenever it slipped out it made her heart swoop in her chest.

Kankerou, on the other hand, was eccentric and funny. If she wasn't used to Naruto by now, she would have probably called him annoying. Apparently, Kankerou and Gaara had lived their entire lives by each other's sides. And so, although they were opposites (Gaara was almost worse than Shino), they were completely inseparable.

All three were funny when they had to be, and they found themselves connecting as the day dragged on, through a lunch-less noon to an afternoon where they sat now, the sun lowering, still talking.

Neji told the most amazing stories. He'd talk to TenTen of how he managed to escape from the high walls of the Hyuuga household, and his first few long nights and days in the city, trying to get used to the despair and hopelessness that he somehow thought would be better than being trapped where he had been before. Tales of traveling through cities she'd never heard of, stealing and eating all he could get. Tales that spoke of horror and friendship and meaning.

But it was getting late, now, and she decided to put an end to it. She stood, placing a hand gently on the table. "Okay, guys, it's getting dark outside, we might as well call it a day." she said loudly, causing everyone to stop talking and look up at her. It was just a bit awkward with three new faces staring at her.

"Ah Ten, c'mon! We just met em!" Naruto cried.

"We're not babies, TenTen, we can kick em out whenever we want." Karin sniffed.

"She has a point." Sai said.

TenTen sighed, closing her eyes in irritation. "I never said I was going to kick them out." she said, opening her eyes again calmly. "Didn't you hear me say they're spending the night?"

"Seriously?! Thanks, girl!" Kankerou said loudly.

Neji, however, the leader of the three of them, tilted his head to the side. "Are you sure that's alright? I don't want us to be a bother."

"Hey, I'm paying you back." she said with a shrug. "The least I can do is let you stay the night. Besides, they seem to enjoy your company."

"Hey, hold on a second, TenTen…" Sai said suddenly. Everyone stared at him as he rose. "I just had a crazy idea, but I think it might work." He faced her. "You _could_ always do _more_ for them, you know, TenTen."

She eyed him warily. "What…are you talking about…?" she asked slowly, not quite understanding but her mind gradually drifting into some disgusting ideas.

However he obviously wasn't implying something like that, for he said, "They could _join_ us!"

Neji and TenTen both stared at him, glanced at each other, and turned away quickly. TenTen gazed at the ground. Hadn't she said at the beginning no new members? From the moment Naruto had dropped Hinata off, the last one to join, she'd drawn the line. No more. She couldn't take care of so many people.

But these people could take care of themselves. They were strong, brilliant, witty, young. But wasn't that just a reason to let them move on?

"That's a good idea, actually…" Gaara said cautiously. "Neji?"

"Hey, uh, if you want our input, we're all cool for it." Kankerou spoke up.

Neji said nothing. TenTen didn't look up. She didn't want to see his face. Could she stand turning him down?

"TenTen, whadya say?"

"Shut up, Naruto, let Neji decide first."

"What?! TenTen's supposed to decide first!"

"Karin's right, idiot, Neji's supposed to decide first."

"Sasuke! You agreed with me?!"

"Um…yes…?"

"TenTen, um…If it's alright with you…?"

TenTen looked up at Hinata, who was watching TenTen nervously. Shino looked up slowly and nodded once.

TenTen bit her lip. "Neji…Come with me!" She suddenly grabbed his arm tightly, knowing it would be painful, and dragged him, surprised, out of the office out into the cooling air, where she dropped him and crossed her arms, chilly. The doors swung shut behind them, and she could heard the confused and excited chatter of those inside.

He winced and rubbed his arm, then looked down at her. Again, she got the same feeling, skin tingling, stomach twisting, heart racing, and she tried to distract herself with thoughts of what she was trying to get settled. The sky was grey, as usual. She could barely see the sun behind the thick clouds that blackened the air. They carried pollution and the sting of doom.

She looked away, feeling guilty. "Listen, I…I don't want to kick you out like that. But…I promised from the beginning, just so it would be easier for everyone to survive, I wouldn't let anyone else in…"

"I know." he said quietly. "I wouldn't let anyone else in either, between me and Kankerou and Gaara."

TenTen looked up at him hopefully. "Really?"

"Yes. Besides, I could never impose in such a way upon you. You've done enough for us, I couldn't allow you to do something like that. That's just giving up way too much for a simple cut that was half my fault." Neji smiled. "Don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful for what you've already given me, of course."

TenTen smiled back. "So…You're not mad or anything, right?"

"Don't be stupid, of course not."

"Okay." She breathed a sigh of relief, but inside she somewhat felt…empty.

Was this what she was doing? Kicking them out into the cold like lost puppies on her doorstep. They hadn't enough warmth to share. They hadn't any electricity, they hadn't anything to give them. In a time where green was a rarity and birds were a dying species, TenTen knew that one fact those in the gutter tried to hold on to, as if it was the only thing rationally left. Even though she felt so different for Neji, she knew; there was nothing she could do for him.

Bird bones were being used as manure. And there was nothing she could do for him.

* * *

At night they lit candles in the office and gathered together around the table. They'd tell stories of life before this. It was green. There was food. You didn't have to fear your life. You actually _wanted_ to grow up.

Neji, Gaara and Kankerou didn't have stories to tell. When TenTen asked them curiously of their school days, they'd each responded simply that Neji had been homeschooled and Kankerou and Gaara were taught in a Foster Home. They had no memories to speak of.

But they listened. Naruto Karin and TenTen would speak of _their_ school days. Arguments they had, little harmless adventures. The pranks that Naruto and TenTen would pull on the teachers and the ways Karin tried to stop them. Shino and Sai would tell of long days in the heat of the summer, different books they'd read, movies they'd watched. Sasuke just talked of his parents, and the special connection he had with them. The favorite thing to talk about was how colorful it used to be. The blues and greens and yellows and pinks. Flowers and squirrels and horses. Everything they missed.

By the crimson candlelight, it was like bringing those things to life again.

The stars were probably out by now. TenTen couldn't see them, and she gazed out the window longingly, wishing for light. Then remembering it would give them away, wishing for darkness again. Wishing she didn't have to.

"I'm gonna go for a walk, guys." she said, standing. "I just feel like it." she added when Sasuke gave her a suspicious look. They all shrugged and let her leave without protest, and she walked down the sidewalk, hands stuffed in the pockets of her purple jacket.

She looked up at the roof of one of the motel rooms and frowned, stopping to stare at a blackbird on the edge of it. "Stupid thing, you're just gonna get killed…" she mumbled as it shifted on it's yellow feet, black plumage ruffling, outlined against the light of the moon that tried in vain to glow through the clouds, hovering in the blackness.

She thought about the three newcomers again. Neji, Kankerou and Gaara. All three so _nice_. She started regretting telling Neji they couldn't stay. She remembered all of the gang giving her dirty looks when they'd went back inside to tell them that they weren't staying any longer than that night. That hurt her just as much.

She glared at the bird on the roof, which just sat there. It was offending. Such a little creature that filled you with so much dread. "What the hell, get lost!" she said louder, waving her hands in the air towards it. Her voice echoed through the lot against the windows and bricks, and she stuffed her hands moodily in her pockets again, seeing the bird would not budge.

"It's not gonna move, you know."

TenTen turned around, startled, then relaxed. "Neji."

He smiled almost sheepishly. "Mind if I join you?"

"It's not too cold for you?"

"I can deal with it."

"Okay."

"Okay."

She turned and he walked by her side, the two headed around the block. TenTen sighed. "You know…" she said quietly, wanting to make conversation. "I was going to go to college before the war started."

Neji laughed grimly. "I was too. But I wasn't exactly looking forward to it. I was accepted into one of those prestigious ones. It didn't exactly sound appealing."

TenTen stuck her tongue out of her mouth. "Hah. I know how you feel. I wouldn't want to go either."

"Were you headed to a University?"

"Nah. Community College. I could never be able to afford a University, even with a scholarship."

Neji nodded, understanding. Their breaths fogged in front of them, and TenTen shivered a bit. "It's getting cold…"

"Yeah. Not good." Neji muttered. "The death rate will most likely only go up during the winter."

"As impossibly sick as the death rate is right now." TenTen added.

Neji nodded, closing his eyes. "I always used to dream about the apocalypse, and I'd imagine something like this…" he said quietly. "Now I just wish it really was the apocalypse. Now I just wish we'd all be at peace."

"Sometimes…I do too…" TenTen murmured. "Not so much that I'm suicidal."

"No." Neji said, nodding. "But...it's a nice feeling, you know."

"Yeah…eternal rest…"

"Finally…"

TenTen and Neji both stared at each other, and TenTen almost stopped walking before wrenching her gaze reluctantly away from that perfect face. She bit her lip. "Do you…think it'll ever be right again…?"

"Maybe." Neji said, also hurriedly changing moods. She could tell from the corner of her eye that he was nervous. "Maybe not in our lifetime, but eventually…"

"True…I mean, we've gone through bad situations before, right?"

"Right. We're a smart race, I'm sure we can find a way through this. We've lived through genocides before."

"Is…Is that what you think this is, a genocide?"

"Well sure. At least here. They've basically turned Konoha into one giant concentration camp."

"And who are the victims, then? The poor?"

"Exactly."

"And that's why we've given up hopes, huh?"

"I guess…" Neji turned to look at TenTen, and she tried not to blush like her instincts tried to force upon her. "But not everyone…" he said softly. "I haven't told you this, but…I admire the way you can keep your friends' spirits up. It's hard to do that, in these times."

This time TenTen really did blush, and she silently thanked the clouds for once for being so thick, so the moonlight didn't shine on her face as brightly as it could be. They rounded a corner and began their walk back to the office. "Th-Thank you…Um…I see that you've kept Gaara and Kankerou safe as well." Feeling courageous, she said, "You've done well…Neji…"

He was silent for a while, then the blackbird that she'd been aggravated at earlier, still on its perch, fluttered away, and he said, "Thank you."

* * *

TenTen lay in bed later that night. Hinata was asleep next to her. TenTen could hear the girl's deep breathing. She just stared at the ceiling. There was a crack there, and it looked to TenTen like a long, thin snake. It reared its head to the left wall, and TenTen wondered what it could be looking at. If snakes were alive anymore, what would they look at?

Nothing. There was nothing to look at. Nothing was left to be interested in except your own life. That was all that mattered. Your own survival, and the safety of the few people you had the time to love anymore. That was all you could hang on to.

TenTen remembered colors. Green, pink, brown. The soil was brown. A tree's bark was brown. The soil was black now. It was ashes and bones now. That was all. That was all there was to it. It was fine, right? Right.

"TenTen, are you okay?"

TenTen's breath hitched, and she swallowed, clearing her dry throat; she had been crying. "H-Hinata?" She cursed herself for stuttering. "I didn't know you were awake…"

"I was, but I woke up…I heard you…"

"Oh, sorry."

TenTen looked over to see Hinata's form rising to sit on her elbows, hair swinging over her shoulders and watching her. "Are you alright?"

TenTen sat up a bit too, to stretch, running a hand through her long, brown hair, loose and falling past her shoulders in waves. "I'm fine, Hinata." she assured her friend. Her voice sounded normal. Thankfully.

"I thought I heard you crying."

"Nah, I just have allergies." TenTen lied quickly, thinking fast.

"…Oh…" Hinata didn't sound convinced, but she lay down again. It was silent as TenTen lay down as well and covered her mouth with a hand to prevent her staggering breaths from escaping. Then Hinata whispered, "Good night."

"…Night…"

There used to be stars to see. Now all you could see was smoke. There was nothing to wish to. No point in wishing anyways.

* * *

TenTen had almost forgotten about Neji, Gaara and Kankerou, so when she and Hinata entered the office the next morning and saw them chatting away with Sasuke and Naruto, she stopped walking and stared at the three before jolting back into sense. Neji had glanced up at her as she entered, and now he smiled.

She'd also almost forgotten what control she needed to resist that face, and she turned quickly to cross behind the desk with a short, "Morning." that sounded rushed and nervous.

"Morning Ten, Hina." Naruto said with a friendly smile. Hinata blushed at the nickname and ducked behind the desk to get the orange juice TenTen held out.

Finding her control again, TenTen grinned and straightened up, holding a circular plastic container. "Cheesecake! Nice." she said excitedly. She turned to Naruto and Sasuke. "Did you guys have any yet?"

"Yup. All of us." Sasuke said, turning away from Gaara.

"Ah…" TenTen slowly turned back to the cheesecake and grimaced. Five slices were missing, so about a third was gone from the cake. She'd wanted more than that…

But she supposed it would do. As Karin had said, it was better than nothing. She opened it and grabbed a plastic knife from the mini fridge, cutting a small section out for herself. "Want some, Hinata?"

"Yes please." Hinata piped up, sipping some of the orange juice before handing it, cheeks pink, to Naruto's eagerly outstretched hand.

TenTen got her some as well and left the knife and cake on the counter for the others to have, handing Hinata her slice on a napkin and nibbling the cake as she leaned against the counter. She watched Neji, Gaara and Kankerou. They all had their things with them already. It looked like they were just waiting for everyone to enter the office before they left. TenTen's heart swooped a bit at the idea of them walking away, but she knew it was for the better.

"Mornings here are nice…" Gaara said absentmindedly, gazing out the window at the sunrise. "It's like the sky is golden."

TenTen smiled. "Yeah, just for a moment this place doesn't seem so bad, right?" she asked almost cheerfully. "It's even better at sunset."

Kankerou chuckled. "True…"

TenTen stared out the window as well, past her reflection in the glass.

Could she do it? Keep these people alive. Winter was coming, and they all knew it would be harder for them than ever before. Could she stand it? Could she give up her own meals for her friends? Cut courses? Would she be able to do this? She was the oldest. She had to. But could she do it?

She didn't know why she was asking herself all these questions. She hoped she wasn't finally going insane. She thought it took much longer for people to go mad from these kinds of things.

She wasn't insane.

She was just confused.

* * *

"Where will you go?" TenTen was outside the office with the three travelers, ready to leave. The sun was in the sky. The rest of the gang stayed in the office, still upset with TenTen for making them leave.

"South." Neji responded. "It'll be warmer there, we hope."

"You do know there's more police there."

Neji closed his eyes. "I have months. Maybe we'll come back up North when I turn twenty one. We'll try to do something."

"If…If you do come back up North in the summer, come back here." TenTen said.

"Will you be here?" Neji asked, opening his eyes. They stared straight into hers, and her heart raced.

She felt like crying. "I don't know." she mumbled. "I'll have turned twenty one by then, right? I don't know."

"Try to stay here, at least until we come back, then." Kankerou said, putting his hands on his hips. "We'll _all_ do our best." He gave Neji a meaningful look, and TenTen couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright. I'll do my best." she said, smiling.

"Thanks for everything, again." Neji said for what felt like the hundredth time.

TenTen looked at his bandaged hand. "Get better soon."

And they were off. TenTen wanted to stay to watch them leave.

But that would just hurt more.

She turned her back on the three quickly and hugged her arms around her waist, walking back to the office. She saw the glares everyone gave her and sighed. "Listen, guys, I know you're…" She paused. "Where's Sasuke and Naruto?" she asked suddenly, seeing the two missing faces.

"They went on a walk." Karin said, her voice a little angry. TenTen tried to ignore that and leaned against the counter, crossing her arms.

"I hope they're careful, the city's getting a little more dangerous. People are losing their minds, and it's even worse when they're drunk. Remember yesterday? Even helpless old men are killers."

"We got it, TenTen, okay?" Sai asked loudly, seeing Hinata hiding her face in her hands.

"There is no need to scare us." Shino said quietly, speaking one of his rare reasonable facts.

TenTen's lips curled inwardly before she spoke. "…Sorry, I just…"

"You don't have to worry so much, Ten." Karin assured her, voice gentling. "Worry about yourself sometime. We can take care of ourselves, you know that."

"…Okay…" TenTen mumbled quietly.

There were times when The Crew was smarter than she was. This was one of those times.

* * *

"TenTen!"

Naruto and Sasuke burst through the door. TenTen jumped, startled. She hadn't seen them coming through the fogged window as they all sat around the table to talk. "What?" she asked, stepping forward, worried. Her eyes widened when she saw blood on Sasuke's face.

"Sasuke!" Karin cried, running forward and forcing him to sit down in a chair. He let her examine his face, breathing hard, like Naruto, from running. "Are you okay?!" He nodded slowly, watching her.

"What happened?! What the hell happened?" TenTen asked immediately, terribly concerned.

"TenTen, guys, where did they go?!" Naruto yelled, crashing around the counter and looking around before whipping around to face her. "Please tell me they haven't left yet!" Hinata held out a hand timidly, then retreated quickly, scared to comfrot him.

"Why? What's going on?" TenTen insisted, voice growing louder and grabbing Naruto's arm sternly. Hinata had her hands to her mouth now, and Sai and Shino both stared as Karin mopped up Sasuke's face with a napkin hurriedly.

"The Akatsuki, that's what's going on!" Naruto yelled.

"Wh…What…?" TenTen asked, shocked.

The Akatsuki. A gang of looters above twenty one that somehow managed to avoid the police and spread violence and theft. They would not hesitate to kill someone, and they'd come wherever they could to steal whatever they could find. Their reason was that they'd had enough of hiding in the shadows. They would do what they had to, to survive, and if you had a problem with it you could either join or they'd send you to hell. A person was not allowed to get in their way. Ever.

"The Akatsuki aren't here…" TenTen said slowly, staring at her blue-eyed friend. "It's impossible. No one's ever heard of them this close to such a small city."

"They're _in_ the city, where the hell do you think Sasuke got that cut on his cheek?"

TenTen turned to see Karin staring at TenTen nervously, Sasuke looking up slowly. After Karin had cleared it up, TenTen could see a large gash slicing open the skin of his cheek. Blood dripped down his jaw.

TenTen remembered the scratch she'd gotten on her cheek when the police had come to take her parents. How much it had hurt. How her tears had mixed with it and stung. The familiar smell of blood. Like fire…

"...Neji…" she whispered. Her eyes widened. "Naruto, Sasuke, where did you run into them?!"

"We were just walking down by the streets up north and they were massacring an entire family against the wall. One of the shots missed and grazed Sasuke's cheek. There are so many of them, TenTen, I saw about five but I'm sure there's more."

"They had…guns…?"

"Not guns…I don't know what they were…" Sasuke said quietly. Karin started at his voice. "They looked like guns, but they were blue and they didn't shoot bullets, they shot these strange green beams. They were thin, and it was like string zapping out from the mouthpiece. Except it was light."

"Light…?"

"But it hurt. Like hell."

"Neji." TenTen said again.

"Yeah, exactly!" Naruto snapped. "We have to go get them, TenTen! They can't go into the city, they'll be found for sure! The Akatsuki have a car, TenTen."

"A car?! Where in _hell_ are they getting the gas?! There's no oil left, everyone knows that!"

"Solar Powered."

"…That's right…" she whispered. "That's what they use now…" It was frightening. Solar Cars. They used the power from the sun to run, and they were _fast_. They even had Solar-Powered motorcycles now.

How many things had changed? Could people eat a meal wrapped in plastic, heat it in a microwave anymore? Could someone sit down and read a book by a large crystal window? Even in the suburbs, TenTen wondered if they could rest. It was a frightening thought. But times had changed since she was a child. You couldn't sleep at night and be sure you'd wake up on earth the next morning. It was either earth, or hell. Sometimes TenTen wondered if they weren't the same thing.

"TenTen, snap out of it!" Karin cried. TenTen looked up. "We can't let them get into the city! Which way did they go? We'll stop them!"

"They…They said they're going South…" TenTen said slowly, her mind still trying to find its bearings and make sense of this.

Finally, it all clicked.

"Naruto, Sai, you both come with me. The rest of you, put on your vests and lock yourselves in here. Board up all the windows. I don't think they'll leave the city, but we can never be too sure. Do _not_ open the doors or windows under _any _circumstances unless it's us."

"H-H-How will we know it's y-you…?" Hinata stuttered, obviously frightened.

TenTen pondered this as Sai stood. "…We'll knock three times, then kick two times, on the wall there." She pointed to the left side of the office. "You'll let us in after that. Hopefully…" She narrowed her eyes. "The others will be with us and there will be no serious injuries. Naruto, Sai." Sai handed her a vest, and TenTen shrugged it on before turning to the door.

"Let's go."

* * *

Dust. Too much dust.

Neji sneezed for the fifth time in a row and groaned aloud.

"You okay, man?" Kankerou asked as Neji wiped his face with his hand glumly.

"Yeah, just allergies…" Neji muttered, sniffing. The city they'd entered was abandoned, and it seemed it had been ditched by anyone that might have been there in the first place, so they were probably safe. They were walking down a street, between tall sky scrapers and buildings that gazed and gleamed pathetically down at them. At the moment they were passing something that probably used to be an office building.

"This place is kinda creepy, huh?" Kankerou asked quietly as they looked around.

"Yeah…" Neji said slowly. He heard his voice echoing and stared up at the sky.

TenTen…

Why did he keep thinking about her? Her name, her eyes, her hair, her face. The way her voice dipped melodiously whenever she spoke. Ever since he'd first saw her he'd felt a different sort of connection with the woman. He hoped he would see her again. He didn't know why, but at least seeing her once more would calm him. He smiled, imagining their reunion after months. She'd probably forget about him, then remember with that open mouthed expression she always used.

He'd enjoyed talking to her. And when they were alone, he'd wanted to be even closer to her. Now he wanted to hold her hand again. Her hand was small, warm, comfortable. Like her.

That was so rare, now. Someone or something that made you feel comfortable. That made you feel warm. He searched for those things. He wanted those things. What did that mean? He wanted to be close to TenTen? What was close? What did he have to do?

"Neji, do you hear something?"

He snapped back into focus. "What…?"

His eyes widened.

Something was wrong…

* * *

TenTen wished they had weapons on them. As they ran into the dust of the city, southward, straight into the tall buildings in the distance where Neji Gaara and Kankerou had disappeared, TenTen felt forebodingly void of protection besides the vest.

"Are you sure they were headed this way?" TenTen asked Naruto as she ran, voice hitching with her breath.

"Yeah, they were going almost west, but definitely south." Naruto said, also breathing heavily.

"Why don't we do this for other people that we've ever ran into, TenTen, huh?" Sai asked.

"What are you talking about?" TenTen replied almost angrily, knowing what was coming.

"Remember those little girls that asked us for help? We didn't do anything for them. Remember that guy that was bleeding on the sidewalk?"

"We helped him." TenTen said defensively.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't let him _stay_." Sai snapped. "I mean, we understand why you do this. For us, and we're grateful, we know it's for the best, even though we can get a little angry at you sometimes. But suddenly you're so intent on helping these guys? What's going on?"

"TenTen has a crush on Neji, that's what's going on." Naruto said with a grin as they slowed to catch their breaths, nudging TenTen teasingly.

"Shut up, you idiot!" TenTen cried, pushing him away furiously, cheeks pink. Naruto and Sai just laughed.

* * *

"Naruto, we've been here three minutes at least. Where's the gang?" TenTen asked softly.

They were walking alone down the streets. Everything was eerily quiet. The wind whistled between the windows and cracks of the empty buildings. They stared around, listening as hard as they could, straining their eyes. It was terrifyingly still.

"Maybe they aren't here yet." Naruto said softly. "I mean, they had a car, but maybe they got sidetracked or something. With another family, or they're looting someone or something."

"I don't think so." Sai said softly. "It feels like they're here, I can just feel it." He narrowed his dark eyes. "You guys don't feel it? It's creepy."

"I sort of do." Naruto said thoughtfully, nodding.

TenTen said nothing. She grit her teeth. Maybe it was alright. Maybe The Akatsuki had gotten sidetracked and Neji and the others had already escaped. Or else The Akatsuki had already been here. And they'd already killed them.

TenTen closed her eyes to calm herself.

Everything was okay. She had to remind herself she was in charge. Sometimes it was hard to think that, but she knew there wasn't any other way around it. Why did she care so much, though, so suddenly? Why Neji? Why him? Was it the way he talked, the way he looked? How his eyes reflected the world. How his words formed so perfectly, deep and low and musical in his soothing, calming voice. His hands, large and warm and kind. Rough. Gentle. She longed for those hands one more time.

"Oh fuck…Guys, guys…!"

Naruto's concerned hiss caught TenTen's attention, and her eyes opened. She turned and stared. Her mouth fell open.

A car was pulled up in the dust and ash by a building off to the side of the road near a tall silver building. It was a solar-powered car, a white one that resembled a sports car with a convertible roof. The roof was metal, and it slid back into the trunk of the car, and the inside was sleek silver and blue leather-type material. And of course the front nose of the automobile served almost like one gigantic solar panel.

That only meant one thing; The Akatsuki was already here.

"Oh my god…" TenTen whispered.

"Come on, TenTen, we gotta move, we gotta move…" Sai said quickly, sounding scared, his voice speeding up with worry.

"R-Right, let's…" She looked around. "They're probably in that building, let's hide in this one…" she said softly. "And while we're at it, let's look for Gaara Kankerou and Neji."

"What?!" Sai hissed as they ran to the building behind them across the road from the car. TenTen was praying in her mind that The Akatsuki hadn't seen them yet. Probably not, and hopefully it would stay that way.

"TenTen, are you nuts?!" Naruto whispered. The door closed quietly behind them, and TenTen stared around. It was a gigantic warehouse, the ceiling extremely tall. "The Akatsuki's here, they could come and get us any second. They're here, TenTen, _here_! Right in front of us. And you want to go looking for your stupid boyfriend?!"

"Shut up, Naruto." she whispered back. "Guys, please, just do what I say and we'll get out of here as soon as we can. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"Alright…" Sai said quietly, turning to Naruto. Both of them nodded, and TenTen ran behind a tall metal shelf. She looked around. Rows and rows of the shelves. They probably used to hold some sort of product. They were completely empty now, some had fallen. Looters…

She walked backwards, staring around almost in awe. She hadn't been to one of these places in a long time. It was huge. She could hear Sai's footsteps echoing around the place, some grunts coming from Naruto. Soon enough their noises faded away as she traveled further back into the place.

The light from outside filtered through the windows up near the ceiling and splayed along the floors. It was almost peaceful. TenTen wondered why she hadn't come across this place before. Probably because the entire city was empty and she knew it. No food, no water, no shelter. Nothing.

"TenTen?!"

"Wha-?!"

She whipped around and, suddenly, tripped over someone. Both of them crashed into the ground, and her eyes squeezed shut. She bit her lip and her eyes blinked open, and her heart swooped in her chest.

Neji's eyes stared straight back at her from where he lay next to her. They stared at each other, then they both started laughing. In relief, in joy, in amusement.

"Hello again." Neji said finally when they'd calmed down.

"We keep doing that." she said, grinning away. She stared at him for a bit, then she suddenly grabbed his hands and ducked her head into his chest. He wasn't dead. He was alive.

"TenTen…?"

"How are you still alright…?" she mumbled. She wanted to cry for some reason but she stopped herself and settled with just hiding her face in his sweatshirt. He smelled like peppermint. She hadn't smelled that in a while. She liked it.

"We saw The Akatsuki rounding the corner and hid here. I don't know where Gaara and Kankerou are in here, I was looking for them when I saw you." Neji said. His voice vibrated his chest, and his breath tickled the top of her head. She felt his hand slip out of hers then settled on the small of her back, pulling her a little closer. "Why are you here?" he asked finally, voice soft. Gentle. The two just lay there together. It was almost their own special kind of passion. Quiet, soft, sweet and slow.

"Naruto and Sasuke almost got caught by The Akatsuki, they came back to the motel and said they were heading south. Sasuke got injured. I came with Sai and Naruto, I thought you were dead by now…" She closed her eyes again and relaxed, trying to calm herself. She didn't have to be scared anymore…

His hand tightened in hers. "I'm fine, TenTen…I can handle myself, I hope you know."

"Neji, I changed my mind." TenTen mumbled almost childishly. "I want you guys to join us, okay?"

"Is now the best time to suggest that?" he asked with a bit of a snigger in his voice.

"I'm serious, I want you guys to join us, please? I can't handle it, thinking you're dead every second of the day and night." She felt tears prick her eyes but halted them quickly. She shouldn't be over-reacting, he was fine. "Please?"

Neji was silent, then he slid his other hand out of hers and placed it on her head. TenTen waited anxiously. Then finally he heaved a long sigh and said, "I'd love to join."

TenTen broke out into a smile and gave a small giggle, blushing just a bit, noticing how close they were. "Neji…" she said slowly when his face suddenly got even closer.

He slid his hand to the back of her head, ducking it forward, and she felt his lips on her forehead. She blushed even more when he pulled away, their foreheads now touching and their noses brushing each other's. His eyes stared straight into hers.

"TenTen." he whispered her name back to her.

She felt her heart race, and she smiled, almost unable to contain herself. "What are you doing?" she asked, and he chuckled. Suddenly there was a sort of slam outside.

"Shit." he whispered.

Her eyes widened, and she looked up at him. He was propped on an elbow now, eyes narrowed. "What?" she asked, sitting.

"Come on, they're here!" he hissed, grabbing her arm and hoisting her to her feet before dragging her away. He found a room and opened the door. TenTen's heart pounded as he closed it and tried to find a lock. As he struggled she looked around. The room was dark, pitch black. There was a short rectangular coffee table against the wall, and Neji, unable to stop the handle, ran to it.

"Help me!" he said quickly to TenTen.

She nodded and together they pushed it quickly in front of the door, scraping it across the floor a little too loud for their liking. But it worked, and Neji grabbed her and pushed her down, ducking behind it so their followers couldn't see them through the window in the door.

TenTen hid her face in his shoulder, the two breathing heavily, and closed her eyes. She could hear unfamiliar voices through the door and bit her lip, burying her face in Neji's neck, feeling him moving with his heavy breaths beneath her, one arm wrapped around her and his face hid in her hair. He was just as scared as she was, she knew. But he was more poised, more calm. He knew how to hide his fear.

How could _she_ do that? Learn something like that? To hide your fears. To hide your shaking knees and chattering teeth and goose bumps and tears and perspiration. Was it possible? It was. But it wasn't easy. She wished it was. She wished everything was easy. If she wasn't so afraid of death, this might already be over.

"Try all the doors."

TenTen and Neji froze when a voice spoke right outside the door. TenTen gulped, but Neji patted her shoulder reassuringly. She calmed just a bit and they waited.

"No one's here, Itachi." another voice said. Deep and hollow and frightening. It raked at TenTen's ear drums and she shivered.

"That doesn't matter, there might be some_thing_ here. Check the doors."

Something rattled next to them, and TenTen squeezed her eyes shut again. They both waited anxiously.

"They're locked, Itachi. Come on, let's just ditch the place."

TenTen let out a long shuddering breath of relief, Neji straightened up a bit. Maybe they could make it. Maybe they'd be alright.

"Wait."

They stiffened yet again. That word TenTen had been dreading to hear. That curious, interested voice TenTen had been waiting for.

"It can't have been locked for nothing, Kisame. Try breaking it open."

There was a loud scratchy sigh. "Fine…"

And suddenly there was a pounding at the door.

TenTen wanted to cry. She hid her face in Neji again, and his arms tightened around her. She bit her lip, trying to force herself to be quiet, but even _Neji's_ breaths were quickening, she could feel his heartbeat racing beneath her hand, which tightened on his chest. Tears pricked her eyes yet again.

"Sh." he whispered, and she felt his lips pressing into the top of her head again, holding her to him.

She let the tears fall and she let him cradle her. She was going to die, this was it.

* * *

"_Finally…"_

* * *

"Hey, Itachi, Kisame!"

The pounding against the door stopped. TenTen and Neji were absolutely still. She didn't dare take a breath or blink.

"Look over in the building to the left of this place, there's a ton of food and shit in the basement!"

"Seriously?" Footsteps echoed through the warehouse on the other side of the door. "Well what are we waiting for?!" There was a bark of a laugh. "Hey Itachi, you comin or what?"

"…Coming…" The footsteps faded, getting further away from the door.

TenTen's mouth dropped open. They were going to…live…?

"They're gone." Neji whispered after what seemed like hours, but what was really only about five minutes. "I don't think they're coming back…"

TenTen was shocked. Confused. She was certain she was going to die. Completely and utterly positive. And now she got the news they weren't? She let out a short, shaky laugh. "I thought…"

"Yeah…" Neji said softly. "Same here." He stood slowly, and TenTen followed, stumbling slightly. Her legs were still shaking. She looked at Neji, his face illuminated from the window of the door. He was very pale, but he looked relieved. He was beautiful, the light on his cheeks, his lavender eyes sparkling.

He sighed. "For God's sake, let's get out of here…"

She laughed again, recovering.

* * *

Neji was still a little shaky as he opened the door the room and they entered the sunlit warehouse. But he was recovering. It was alright, he tried to convince himself, they were alive and fine. The Akatsuki hadn't found them. For a minute he'd thought he was going to die. He'd been debating whether to cover TenTen with his body, or make TenTen run for it while stalling them.

And now he was confused why he was even _thinking_ things like that.

"Neji, TenTen!" The two looked up and both broke out into relieved smiles at the sight of Sai, Gaara, and Kankerou running towards them. "We thought they'd found you in there for a second!" Sai said, wiping sweat from his brow. "We were hiding behind a shelf, we could see the whole thing. Thank god, we thought you were gonna die!"

"Yeah, we thought so too…" TenTen said, breathing out slowly. She straightened up. "Wait…Wait, where's Naruto?!"

"Hey guys!"

TenTen stiffened, then groaned. "Oh hell…" she hissed, and all of them slowly looked up. The blonde was hanging for his life onto a rafter, upside down like an ape, his body swinging from side to side.

Sai shook his head and put his hands on his hips. "Yep, he would…"

"Naruto, how the _hell_ did you get up there?!" TenTen cried. Neji tried not to laugh. She was funny when she was angry, he liked it. He wondered if he had some sort of fetish, then, with angry women.

Probably better not to think about it.

"Eh, I climbed up the shelves and onto the windows, then I got on here!" Naruto called down to them, a bit of a nervous grin on his face. "Hey guys, it's hilarious, they didn't even see me!"

"Yeah, good for you, get _down_ here!" TenTen yelled. "Before you fall and break your freaking neck!"

"Yeah, yeah, stop being so bossy. Shouldn't you be happy? I mean, you found your boyfriend."

TenTen blushed visibly, and Neji felt his cheeks burn as she stuttered, "Sh-Shut up, you idiot, you don't know what you're talking about!"

Neji watched her. He somehow wasn't disliking the idea of actually being her boyfriend, at the moment.

Then he wanted to slap himself. Birds were a dying breed and he was thinking about romance. He was being an idiot.

But…maybe he wasn't…After all, TenTen was so…

He smiled a bit, watching her angry face. It was alright. Romance was alright. It was okay to live it up, _especially_ in times like these.

By now Naruto had finally gotten down and he ran over to them with a big happy grin on his face. TenTen slapped him on the arm sternly immediately, then turned to the rest of them as Naruto sulked in silence. "We'd better get out of here as soon as possible. We don't know when The Akatsuki will come back."

Neji's heart was just starting to calm down, and he thought about the situation. "Actually, I think I have an idea." TenTen stared at him confused, eyes expectant, so he explained. "They said they're going to the basement of the building to the left of them. The basements here are dark and the stairs down them are long. And they said there's lots of food. Most likely they're busy stocking up at the moment. So we have a few minutes to check their car, which is parked somewhat to the right of this building, so they won't be able to see us even if they do start to come back here, and which will give us time to run away."

"Perfect!" Sai said, a fist in the palm of his hand. "We can go see if they have any food or anything useful on them in their car."

"That'll work." TenTen said.

"Great, we have that settled." Kankerou said, glancing around them. "Now let's get a move on it then get the hell out of here, alright?"

* * *

That was by far the closest call TenTen could remember. And she'd had many close calls. She was grateful that the clouds seemed to be a little less thick today than usual, grateful for the light, for once. It was frightening in the dark, she remembered. The dark room, the pitch black. She was _glad _for the light right now. It was rare, but she sometimes thanked the sun and the moon.

The car's roof was slid back still, and TenTen and Sai were inside, searching. There was a beige shoulder bag that TenTen found underneath the passenger's seat and had handed to Naruto, who was opening it at the moment.

TenTen and Sai jumped back out, landing with two thumps in the dust that billowed around their feet. "Nothing else." TenTen reported. She turned to Naruto, who was squatting on the ground. "What's in there?"

Naruto finally got the buckle undone and took out the contents one by one. First he removed a large gun, and narrowed his eyes, handing it to TenTen carefully. She turned it over cautiously in her hands. It was silver, with blue markings all over it, and if TenTen didn't know better she would have thought it was a water-gun, without the long triggers.

"That's the same thing that got Sasuke." he told her, eyeing it with distaste.

"Let me see it." TenTen handed it to Neji, and her hand tingled when his fingers brushed hers shortly. He froze as well, then he moved his hand away hastily and held the weapon up to point it to the sky. "Is it loud, Naruto?" he asked.

"Nope, it's completely silent." Naruto said, watching him. "Which is what's scary. It shoots this thin beam of light. It's thin, but it'll cut right through you."

"Let's try it out then." Neji pulled something, then narrowed his eyes. "What the hell?" He pulled it down again and examined it. "Where's…the trigger…?"

"Here…" TenTen took it again, careful not to touch Neji in the process, and looked over it, then she frowned. "I think this one's different than normal guns, where the trigger's beneath the nozzle. This one looks like it's on top, and it's a censored trigger."

"What do _you_ know about guns?" Kankerou asked almost scornfully.

TenTen smirked. "See that windowsill over there that's about to fall off?" She pointed to said object over by the window of a building in the distance.

"Um…yeah, but what does that-"

"Say goodbye to it." She held the gun up. There were two slots for each set of hands, and she slid her fingers in, her thumbs on top. She pressed her right thumb down once on the blue light on top of the gun, and a thin, long green light shot out, un-separated. It hit the windowsill where it was attached to the wall, and it fell, out of sight.

TenTen grinned a bit, swinging the gun along her fingers. Kankerou laughed a bit, surprised. "I take it back!" Neji chuckled, and TenTen smiled, satisfied.

"I have perfect aim, I mean not to brag or anything." TenTen said proudly. "I always have, since I was born."

"Aim like with guns, or with everything?" Gaara asked.

"With everything!" Naruto said, an arm around her shoulders and grinning away. TenTen just rolled her eyes and shrugged him off.

"Look for something more." she said. "We don't have too much time to be wasting away."

"Got it." Sai knelt by the bag once more and removed another object.

This time, it was a dagger with a dark-blue lacquered handle and matching scabbard. Sai released the blade and they all stared; it was a neon blue, and it glowed. Sai stuck it in the ground to try it out, and sparks flew. He quickly returned the blade into the scabbard. "They've…changed a lot of weapons around, haven't they…?" Kankerou said nervously.

"Next one." Gaara ordered simply.

This time, none of them knew what it was. It was like a double-ended light-bulb. It was glass and could fit in the palm of Sai's hand, and inside it had three differently colored wires curled around each other.

"What is it…?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side curiously.

"No clue…maybe it's a charger for the gun?" Kankerou guessed.

"There's a ton of them in here." Sai said, glancing inside the bag. "Actually, that's all there is in here."

"Let me see." Neji said. He took the gun from TenTen as well and examined both of them. "No, the gun's solar-powered." Neji said. "See, it has the same sort of paneling on the handle as the car does on the nose. So it can't be charged…"

"Then what's the little glass thing?" Naruto asked louder, getting annoyed with not having his questions answered.

"I don't know." Neji replied calmly.

"Wait." TenTen said. "If all that's in that bag is weapons so far, then…"

Neji nodded. "Right…" He suddenly seemed to have an idea, and he threw it a ways off.

The glass shattered, and there was a sound like a gunshot. Dust and dirt flew everywhere, and when it cleared, everyone coughing and waving it away, TenTen saw the ground was cracked.

"Whoa." Naruto said. Everyone else was thinking the same thing.

"AGH!"

Sai suddenly yelled out in pain, and blood flew from his right shoulder.

TenTen's eyes grew wider, and her heart nearly stopped; As Sai dropped to his knees, clutching his shoulder, a green light receded, pointed from a gun in the hands of an officer.

The police these days were not like they used to be. They simply wore a navy blue and silver jumpsuit, metallic and shiny, covering their entire bodies except for their hands. The legs were tucked into grey boots. And they had on helmets. They rode their solar-powered motorcycles, not making a sound as they crept up on you.

And they were merciless.

Everything started to move again for TenTen.

There was only one man there. They could take him.

"Naruto, get Sai and get into the car! Kankerou, Gaara, get the bag. Neji, take one of those bomb things, I got the gun. Everyone move!" TenTen spit orders from her mouth like fire. She knew how to deal with this. She'd run into an officer before. She could do this. She could do this.

Everyone moved according to plan. Naruto dragged Sai into the car, Gaara and Kankerou soon followed after handing Neji one of the mini-bombs. TenTen pointed the gun straight at the officer, Neji right by her side.

The officer stepped forward. "ID's!" he barked. TenTen said nothing, and Neji did the same. The officer narrowed his eyes from behind his helmet, covering his eyes. "Bring out your ID's now or I'm shooting. _Now_!"

"Wait for it, Neji." TenTen whispered. He said nothing, but she knew he trusted her.

"I'm giving you the count of three."

"Don't move." TenTen murmured beneath her breath.

"One. Two. Thre-AGH!"

The man was down in a second. The green light struck his chest from TenTen's gun, and he crashed into the ground, the dirt billowing around him. Blood soon soaked the dry ground, and she knew he was either injured or dead.

"Move!" she said loudly, and she dived into the passenger seat of the car, Neji getting into the drivers seat and throwing the mini-bomb away from him carelessly, which exploded louder than before. She knew it was only a matter of time before The Akatsuki came. They had to get out of here.

"Do you know how to drive these things?" she asked hurriedly, breathing hard as Neji stared at the steering wheel before him.

"I think so…This should get the roof up." He pressed a button near the window, and the roof slowly slid over their heads. TenTen sighed in relief. These things were supposed to be bullet-proof. She felt a little more protected. She turned around in her seat.

"Naruto. How's Sai?" she demanded.

"He's okay, it only got his shoulder, but he's bleeding pretty badly." Naruto called from the trunk. The other two were in the backseats, leaning over to look at the other two.

"Sai, you okay?" TenTen asked.

"I'll live…" he croaked, sounding in a lot of pain.

TenTen bit her lip. "It'll be okay, we'll get back home and then we'll have Karin patch you up. She's good at those things. For now just relax."

"…Okay…"

TenTen sat back in her seat and looked at Neji. "Well?"

"I'm trying to figure it out, TenTen, I don't want us to crash." he said loudly.

"I'm sorry…" she said immediately, turning to look out the window apprehensively.

Finally Neji took a deep breath. "Alright, hold on, I'm going full speed. And from what it looks like, full speed it-"

All at once, the car shot off like a bullet. The colors outside blurred together, the wind whistled. TenTen grit her teeth and turned away from the window, shaky. It was so…_smooth_. It was like they were flying. And Neji wasn't even looking out the windshield, but instead at a little black screen above him. There was a bright green dot, and green graphs of the buildings around them, and Neji maneuvered easily around like he was playing a video game.

"…W…Wow, this thing's…crazy…" Kankerou said, sounding shocked.

"We're almost to the motel." Neji said. "Do you want to get off here?"

"What? Why?"

"The Akatsuki will probably see their car gone and try to follow it's tracks. Or maybe the police will find one of their men down and try to see who did it." Neji said. "We'll have to get them _off_ track."

"Right…" TenTen said quietly. "Well…Well, let's first get us near the motel. We'll drop off Sai there. Then me and you can get this thing further away from the motel, make sure they won't find it near us, and we'll walk back to the motel."

"Good idea." Neji said.

But TenTen was suddenly a little angry at herself for suggesting that. She would have to be alone with Neji. Would she be able to control herself?

"Alright, we're here. Hold on, guys."

TenTen did as she was told and gripped her seat, and the car slid to a stop suddenly. They all jolted forwards, then slammed back into their seats. TenTen's breath was taken away quite literally, and her chest hurt, but she swallowed some air and twisted around. "All of you get in the motel. Naruto, remember how to get inside?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, good. Everyone hurry." They did as they were told and exited the car, slamming the doors behind them, and TenTen breathed out slowly. "Okay, let's ditch this thing…" she said softly.

* * *

Neji had ended up parking the car a ways off in the middle of the abandoned landscape. The walk back went better than TenTen had expected. It was awkward at times. Some moments they'd find themselves staring at each other, then they'd turn away nervously, but they'd start up another conversation soon after, and it would be alright again.

When they'd gotten back Hinata had been waiting by the window, looking out through the boards, and she'd let them in immediately so they didn't have to do their little 'code'. Karin, as TenTen had predicted, was cleaning Sai up pretty well, and now he was asleep on the table, bandages from the First Aid kit around his shoulder, his shirt off. Sasuke's face was patched up as well with band-aids Karin had found, and he was humiliated, but recovered.

Apparently Sasuke had thanked Karin, Karin had whispered to TenTen. Which was the first time any of them had heard of Sasuke thanking anyone, for anything, let alone bandaging up a cut. Was it really a thanks for that? Karin was ecstatic. She didn't care.

Now, TenTen sat at the table drinking the cold tea Hinata had made her and the others eagerly. Naruto was saying something about how this was the best thing he'd ever tasted, as if he was the mayor delivering an inaugural speech, causing Hinata to blush and thank him over and over again, but TenTen wasn't really paying attention.

She stared at the wood of the table, tea between her hands. She'd never had such a close call in her life. She wondered how many more she'd have to go through. She knew it was only going to get worse, now that she and Neji were almost twenty one. She'd have to find some way to live, some way to die, some way to protect her friends. Some way.

"Oh _wow_, how cute!"

Everyone stopped talking when Karin cried out. TenTen listened.

"That's pretty…"

"Would you look at that…"

TenTen looked up and stared out the window, seeing something miraculous. Just a simple bird, shuffling along. Something was in its mouth, something black and charred and moldy. And there was a sunset in the distance, against the horizon. Something someone used to see every day and pay no mind to. But it _was_ cute. It _was_ pretty. It _was_ a sight to see, a miracle. A simple bird outlined by the orange, setting sun had the power to move TenTen's heart like this…

"Looks like luck's on our side." Neji's hand suddenly covered TenTen's.

She turned to look at him, surprised. He was smiling at her. His eyes clouded with emotion and love and fondness, all the same things she could feel for him. His hand was warm. His smile was peaceful. His thumb stroked her hand, consoling her. It was his language. His way of telling her everything was alright.

She smiled back, and her fingers threaded within his.

"Looks like it." she said quietly.

TenTen was thinking too much, she knew now as they all lit candles and sat down around the table together, drinking ice-cold tea and recovering. If there were still things like this alive, if the sun could still rise and sink and paint the sky colors that you could still see if you squinted really hard past the black smoky grey, if luck was on their side, if they had the slightest chance that they could really _do_ this, if there was still a somehow, a somewhere, a someone, and if a group of renegades and runaways and lonely young men and woman that had seen death and fear and blood and tears could still sit together and laugh and love and tell stories by candlelight…

"I don't think it's luck, Neji…"

Then there _was_ a way.

Once there were birds. They would flock together, all the same color, same breed. Clueless and carefree, they'd rise to meet the wind, one large, dark, churning mass that raced the sun. They sang of the future, and they'd leave behind one black feather in the dirt.

* * *

_End Part II_


	2. Glass & Bones

Time Sky  
_By Mara_

Glass and Bones  
_There were two levels of life to live on now. They weren't labeled, or stereotypes._  
_They were more complex. Because these determined how you'd die._

* * *

"Morning, Temari."

Temari smiled.

She greeted her mother with a raise of her hand as he crossed into the dining room. The little sunlight that tried in vain to glow, pale and pathetic, through the window made the crystal silverware sparkle on the clean wooden table where her mother sat and ate something off of a circular platter in the middle of the table.

"Morning mom." Temari closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her eyes opened. "Smells like it's rolls today."

She sat down next to her and reached forward, grinning. Her mother was dressed in a satin summer dress with dandelion patterns over it. Temari, on the other hand, dressed in a comfortable green shirt, sleeves going down to her elbows, a cream plaid skirt, and brown boots up to her knees. While her mother nibbling the rolls politely, Temari stuffed a corner in her mouth and leaned back in her seat, arm slung along the back of her chair.

"So did Chiyo make this?" she said, voice muffled as her mouth was still full.

"Yes, and you'd be thanking me to chew with your mouth closed." An elderly woman entered the room with a frown, and Temari simply rolled her eyes and swallowed.

"Yeah, sorry." she mumbled reluctantly. She turned around in her chair. "It's good, though!"

Temari's mother sighed and pulled the girl's skirt down, which had risen revealingly when she'd turned around. "Temari, be careful."

"Sorry." Temari laughed sheepishly and sat the right way as Chiyo set down two crystal glasses with orange juice splashing around inside in front of them. Temari took a glass and looked up at the silver shelves hoisted on the periwinkle-blue, lacy wallpaper near the door out to the living room. Her blue eyes stared at the golden plaque that sat there.

An award for her father, who was a general in the current war. A good friend of Tsunade, a leader of Konoha. Her father being an important man in the war, they got money and food by the bucket-load from the government. Temari sometimes wondered about this, then she remembered what her life _could_ be like if she didn't stay in the suburbs of Konoha, and she decided against it.

Temari was twenty one. She was treated well by the government, though, not being drafted into the war like all the rest. She and her mother were safe, as were most of the rich in the suburbs. Temari knew it was the poor in the city slums that were targeted by the police the most.

She wished she could somehow leave that house sometimes, but…she knew it was for the better. She would rather stay with her mother and maid than go to war or try to work as a servant, like what most of the poor did now, traveling to the suburbs to try and get jobs growing crops with their bird-bone-manure and strange new technology.

"Temari, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, mom." Temari turned around to face her mother, seeing Chiyo putting down a few more rolls. She grinned. "Ah Chiyo, what would I do without you?" she asked, grabbing another one greedily.

"You'd starve to death." Chiyo said, sharing a smile with her mother. "Oh, and of course all your clothes would have holes the size of tin cans in them as well."

Temari laughed guiltily. "…Yeah, that sounds about right." she said meekly.

"Speaking of that, I'm off to rid of your mess in the living room." Chiyo said conversationally. "Honestly, just because you lost the poker game doesn't mean you had to go throwing the pieces all over the floor."

"Thank you!" Temari called after her sheepishly as she left the room.

Temari's mother gave her a look. "Temari, get a little more responsible."

"Ah mom, it's summer." Temari said, waving her hand carelessly as she crossed on leg over the other. "You're not homeschooling me at the moment, let me live a little."

"Usually I would, but you have company starting tomorrow, and for the rest of the week, remember."

"Huh?" Temari looked up, pulling a strand of her short, blonde hair that was down and brushing her shoulders out of her face. "I don't remember you telling me about company."

"I told you a month ago."

"Oh. You mean…Aunt Kaori…?" Temari groaned. "Now I know why I didn't remember." she muttered moodily.

Her mother sighed. "I know she isn't the nicest woman in the world-"

"More like the bitchiest." Temari muttered.

"Temari!"

"Sorry."

"…Listen, she's your father's sister and she's _family_. You _know_ he wants us to treat her with respect."

"Okay, okay, I'll just stay out of her way. That should make her happy."

Her mother stared at her. "Temari…" She sighed. "You really _don't_ remember, do you?"

"Not really." Temari admitted shamelessly.

"Temari…" her mother said slowly. "I'm going on a trip to attend a meeting with Tsunade. I'm leaving tomorrow. And remember that Chiyo is coming along…?"

"…So I'll be…"

"Alone with Kaori…" Her mother finished slowly. "Temari, please, you can put up with her for at least a week, right? It's not forever."

Temari sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll try." she said, giving in. "But it's not gonna be easy, I'm telling you."

"I know." Then her mother smiled. "So how about we go out to lunch today, huh?"

Temari grinned.

* * *

"Damn." Shikamaru whispered.

He lay on a creaky bed underneath the weak roof of a room in a small, rain-washed inn inside the suburbs of Konoha. His dark eyes that matched his hair, up in a stiff spiky ponytail, winced, not yet used to the pale yellow light coming in through the window. He wasn't in the best mood at the moment; he was hungry.

"Not good…" he muttered as he rose and pressed a hand to his growling stomach. He wore a short-sleeved, black shirt - tight, showing the thick muscles in his arms and stomach - over jeans. No pajamas. He didn't own any. There was no point in dressing in pajamas anyway. If he'd have to leave the room early, running as fast as he could in pajamas would not be the smartest thing.

He sighed and stretched, yawning. "Guess it's time to get some breakfast…" he mumbled sleepily. He turned and swung his legs over the bed, and just sat there. Staring at his little belongings below him for a little while. Then he finally leaned down and picked up a thick leather, beige jacket, shrugging it on, then pulled on some brown boots, almost combat style, under his jeans. With that, he grabbed his grey, tattered bag, swinging it over his shoulder, and left the room, which was now completely empty; that was all he'd had with him.

He checked out at the counter in the stuffy lobber quickly with just a few dirty coins he'd found in a gutter, then exited the tiny inn and emerged into the throng of the village streets in the middle of the suburbs.

He stood in the middle of the sidewalk as people pushed past him, ignorant. Some were dressed nicely, and people made way for them. Others lay in the middle of the street, thin and bony and begging for all they were worth. That wasn't very useful. No one was willing to give anything away. No one wanted to give up the little they had.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. His eyes opened. "Smells like it's rolls today."

He smirked and shifted his bag on his shoulder before he crossed the street, avoiding the beggars and the poor and, like everyone else, skirting the rich, before finally getting to a market stand selling freshly baked goods. He opened his bag casually and slowed down, stepping up the curb to the sidewalk. People pressed past him, a small crowd of poor circling around the stand waving bills and coins.

Shikamaru calmed himself, got his bearings, and watched the people, especially the large baker collecting money. He finally passed the stand and grabbed a buttered roll, holding it tightly in his hand, then moved on discreetly. He glanced over his shoulder carefully; the baker was still facing the other way. Shikamaru turned around again with a grin on his face. "Perfect…"

Now it was time to eat where no one would be watching him, so no one could be suspicious. His choice was just an alley, the gap between two small shops that he slipped between easily. He leaned against the wall in the darkness, watching people passing him without a glance, and, satisfied, began to consume the roll.

It tasted warm, flavorful. He sighed in relief as he filled his aching stomach, the melted butter making his mouth water.

"Shikamaru."

He looked up when his name was called in the middle of a bight and grinned warmly. "Chouji, hey."

An obese man, Shikamaru's good friend, walked over, munching on a hash-brown wrapped in a greasy paper towel. He eyed Shikamaru's roll almost enviously. "Looks like you went out on a limb today." Chouji said bitterly.

Shikamaru shrugged as he finished up the morsel sloppily. "I was hungry."

"I can see that. You ate pretty fast." Chouji said. "You know, me, I'm _always_ hungry. But I don't risk myself like that."

"No one saw me." Shikamaru said, wiping his hands, greasy from the butter, on his already stained jeans. He walked over to Chouji, scratching his head. "So how's it been? Didn't see you or the other two yesterday like you said I would."

"Sorry, we meant to meet you by that Inn, but we kinda got caught up with something." Chouji said with a shrug. "You know, on the run, as usual." He stuffed the rest of the hash brown in his mouth greedily.

Shikamaru noticed how they could talk about hiding from the police as if it was an everyday conversation. But that was exactly what it was. "Heh. This is a lifestyle, I guess, Chouji." Shikamaru said, crossing his arms behind his head. Carefree.

"Yup." Chouji said with a bit of a chuckle. "Where men can't live peacefully, gods can't eat any better."

Shikamaru stared up at the sky as Chouji said this. "True…"

"Shika, Chou!"

Shikamaru could recognize his cousin's voice anywhere. He turned and watched Matsuri skipping into the alley, a bright smile on her face. She had short brown hair, and she dressed unlike Shikamaru and Chouji, who were both just in jeans and jackets, in clothes she had stolen. She insisted she need dress in something that matched her personality, her enjoyments. Which meant colorful. Which meant she couldn't come across it easily. She had on a beige, long sleeved shirt with a pale green scarf wrapped around her neck, a yellow skirt over brown tights, and black flats. So flashy you would have thought she _was_ rich if not for the dirt on her chin and the way her hair flattened, greasy. She was the only person left from Shikamaru's blood that actually stayed with him.

Next, following her, was Kiba, another of Shikamaru's friend and another that was on the wild side. His cinnamon-brown hair stuck up in odd angles, and his dark eyes flashed and darted around the alley almost excitedly. In his arms was a small, white puppy, beady black eyes gleaming out and yapping once it caught sight of Shikamaru, ears sticking straight up. Kiba's dog, Akamaru. Kiba had found him on the streets as a puppy, and now Akamaru would not leave Kiba's side. Kiba adored his dog, and he sometimes, just going crazy, would run around in circles with him, laughing recklessly and making Matsuri giggle while Chouji and Shikamaru just rolled their eyes. For some reason the boy enjoyed wearing his tight, thin black sweatshirt, saying Akamaru liked its smell.

This was Shikamaru's family. The only people he could bother thinking about anymore, since the war started and his father had willingly just marched away, abandoning Shikamaru. Shikamaru was furious at his father for doing this to him. And what better way than to get back at the man than to rid the government of its property? To steal. To take everything for his own.

This was a normal story of a thief living in the suburbs. This was Shikamaru's story. And he was very happy with it.

Bitterness; there was only one way to let it out.

* * *

"Ready to go, Chiyo?"

"Yes ma'am." Chiyo emerged from around the balcony of the tall marble stairs in Temari's large three-story house. The chandeliers lit up the woman's gray hair, and Temari tried not to laugh. Instead of in the usual brown slacks the maids were forced to wear, Chiyo had on a baggy cream shirt, a hideous orange skirt, and sandals that showed off her wrinkled, knobby toes.

Temari sat on the stairs looking up at her, covering her mouth with her hand to suppress the giggles and smoothing her skirt, which kept flaring at the ends annoyingly. Temari's mother, in yet another summer dress and standing by the foot of the stairs, laughed. "You're taking full advantage of this, aren't you?"

"Of course, ma'am." Chiyo said as she climbed down the stairs elegantly. "It is not often that a maid is taken to see Tsunade."

"Well, it's not often someone has such a good maid that they'd enjoy taking with them."

"I'm touched, ma'am."

Both Temari and her mother laughed, and Temari rose, seeing the two picking up their baggage that Chiyo had brought down for them. It was time to say goodbye to her mother and wish her luck. She'd be picked up outside the city gates in a Solar Car with Chiyo and two security guards, and they'd be driven from suburb to suburb, avoiding the cities. Temari bit her lip. She knew it was dangerous out there…

"I'll be fine, Temari." Her mother hugged her daughter tightly, and Temari brought her arms around her mother. Her hands ran along the satin dress, feeling the smooth material beneath her fingers. It was like her mother's soft, blonde hair. Gentle to the touch.

"Alright…Good luck, and _please_ come back as soon as you can." Temari said, letting her mother go and giving Chiyo a short squeeze, affectionate towards the short little maid that had been serving them since Temari could remember.

"We will, Miss. Temari, of course we will." Chiyo said as her mother nodded, smiling.

Temari sighed. "Right, then…Go on…"

Temari's mother laughed. "It'll be fine, Temari. And _please_ treat your aunt nicely."

"Yeah, yeah."

Not convinced, her mother gave her a stern look over her shoulder as she left. "Try to grow up when I'm gone, Temari."

And she left, closing the doors behind her.

Temari sat yet again on the steps, chin in her hands. Grow up. She didn't want to. If she had to stay here, in her mother's house, instead of go to college and graduate and become a doctor or nurse or maybe even a singer, like she'd wanted…she was _not_ going to grow up.

She was stubborn, sure. She knew it. She wasn't a person to give in easily. Her heart was set in stone from the beginning. And to change her ways was something she just couldn't do. Ever since her father had left to be a general, ever since the war had started, ever since the tall walls that surrounded her suburbs had been built, she'd felt trapped. And she'd decided to just go along with it. It wasn't that she was bowing low to her higher-ups.

She had just…given up…

That was it. It was okay, right? You shouldn't _have_ to fight so much. You shouldn't _have_ to wear yourself out.

What was the point, anymore? What did you get in return?

When there wasn't anything to award you with, what was the point of doing _anything_?

* * *

The sound that Temari had been dreading all day echoed through the empty house. A few stern raps at the door. Temari lay on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, staring, bored, since she was usually around the town with her mother at this time, just staring at the ceiling. Now her head snapped up, and she sighed, sitting and preparing herself.

"Okay. I can do this. It's just a week." she said softly under her breath as she walked through the large living room, turning the chandelier on to light her way. She stood in front of the double doors, seeing her Aunt Kaori's figure, smudged by the waved crystal windows. "Here we go…" she said softly, and she walked forward, grasped the cold marble handles, and pulled.

"Temari." Her aunt predictably greeted Temari with a curt nod. She dressed in an elegant silver tube dress and a shoulder blazer.

Temari tried not to grimace and stuck on a bright, happy smile. "Aunt Kaori! Long time no see, huh?"

"If you'd like to put it that _bluntl_y, I guess." Kaori let herself in, not bothering to wipe her feet, and looked around. "How drearily quiet!" she remarked as Temari just stood there and watched.

"Well, um, it's empty in here after all." Temari said with a nervous smile.

"Ah, is that so?" Her aunt suddenly spun around, long black hair that matched her pair of coal-eyes swinging. "Wait, where on earth are all the maids? I understand that your mother went to a meeting up North, but that's no excuse for all the maids to leave, she only needs two."

"Um, actually, we only have _one_ maid, Kaori, if you remember. Chiyo."

"Chiyo…?" Kaori scrunched her eyebrows together, then shrugged. "I honestly can not remember that name."

"You wouldn't…" Temari whispered glumly under her breath. Kaori did not hear, fortunately. She was busy inspecting the golden handles on the staircase. Temari sighed and leaned over to close the front doors but stopped herself, seeing a young girl standing in the way. Temari stared. She had golden, orange hair pulled into two long braids, one little curl swirling around in the middle of her forehead over a pair of bright green eyes and a freckled nose. Temari tilted her head to the side. The girl was adorable, and she didn't seem like a thief, as she was in a silk baby-doll dress.

"Hey, who are you?" Temari squatted in front of her with as kind of a smile as she could put on.

"_That_ is Megumi, my cousin's daughter, and she'll be staying with us this week." Temari turned to look over her shoulder at Kaori, standing there stiffly and looking down at them. "You are not under any circumstances to disturb her, she's very shy."

"Of course I'm not gonna disturb her." Temari said, rising. She nodded to the girl warmly. "Come on in, then, Megumi. I'm Temari, nice to meet you."

Megumi stepped in slowly and smiled shyly. "Thank you…" she said quietly. Temari just nodded, wondering why the girl was so shy.

"Alright, our servant will be in shortly with our luggage." Kaori said loudly. Temari stared at Kaori.

"You brought a servant along?"

"Well yes, silly girl, of course we did. I don't understand how you could live without maids in this house at all times."

"We're not helpless." Temari muttered darkly, closing the doors. But as soon as the doors clicked shut, she heard a little nervous tap on the window. She heaved a sigh. "People keep coming…!" she whispered to herself as she walked over to the doors again, and she opened them once more.

A timid, black-haired young woman smiled shyly, in a dirty brown shirt and long white skirt. Normal maid's outfit. "U-Um, Temari Subaku…?"

"Oh, you must be Aunt Kaori's servant? Come in." Temari said kindly. Inside, she was cursing the fact that there was yet another timid person she'd have to watch her tongue around. Of course they were probably already used to Kaori's awful temper by now, so maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

"Well, Shizune. Take them up to the guest rooms." Kaori called. She was already in the kitchen, already making herself at home, already making sure her presence was the most important. _Already_! Temari could barely believe it.

Temari made sure that Kaori and Megumi were perfectly distracted in the kitchen, then she ran to Shizune lugging up the suitcases to the stairs, hands and arms shaking. She grabbed a few suitcases, finding them extremely heavy, ad Shizune stared at her in surprise.

"U-Um, Miss. Temari, I'm sorry-"

"Hey, don't say nothin." Temari said with a smile. "Come on, I'll show you the guest rooms. You'll have your own, of course, don't worry."

Shizune's dark eyes widened. "Miss. Kaori said-"

"Hey, this is _my_ house, right?" Shizune stared at her, and Temari pressed a finger to her lips meaningfully. "Just don't let her know or she'll bite my head off, kay?" she asked beneath her finger.

Shizune stared at Temari for just a bit more, then she laughed. "Alright. Thank you."

Temari grinned. "For what?"

Shizune laughed again. "Never mind." she said as Temari nodded with a secret wink.

Temari flung a suitcase across her shoulder. She smiled a bit as she climbed the staircase with Shizune. She'd make the most of this.

* * *

"AGH! Temari, what the _hell_ is in your shampoo?!"

Temari, in the middle of playing _Old Maid_ with Shizune and Megumi on the floor of the living room, grinned. "Pretend we can't hear her." Temari said to the two waiting females. "Megumi, your turn!"

Megumi giggled, and Shizune shook her head, clicking her tongue but a small smile on her face. The two had already warmed up to Temari, even though it had only been two days since they'd arrived, and they'd laughed on the sidelines as Temari slowly tortured her aunt into near-insanity. This time, it was glue in the shampoo. The other times it had been a dead spider on her pillow, a kitchen knife simply laying in wait at the floor by her guestroom door, and locking the door to the family room, leaving her in there for three hours before finally letting her out saying the door spontaneously locked itself.

There was one thing that she'd tried to do as well, which was put brown hair dye into her aunt's hair cream that she'd always slick through her hair in the mornings, but Temari accidentally put it into her _own_ hair cream, which turned her hair a light brunette color. She'd just have to take a shower the next day and it would wash right out, she was certain, but her aunt, seeing her hair and hearing Temari's excuse that she'd been in the mood for a temporary change, was thrown almost into hysterics.

Temari had made it a goal to give the woman the most awful experience of her life so she would not come back again. And to, of course, entertain Shizune and Megumi, who were pretty much enjoying themselves to the fullest for the first time in their lives.

"Temari, you know she's going to get suspicious sooner or later." Shizune said, although her mouth kept twitching upwards.

"It's alright, it's _my_ house. She can't do anything." Temari said with a carefree grin.

* * *

Nights without her mother and Chiyo were long and lonely for Temari. She lay awake late in the night, hands clenching the satin sheets next to her. Soft, gentle, soothing. Like she was lying on water, on top of the rolling waves a river that massaged her back. She hadn't changed out of her clothes for that day, a long sleeved brown turtle-neck over a cream pleated skirt and brown boots. She hadn't even taken her boots off. She was too tired.

Tired of thinking.

She ran a hand through her hair, short and brown for the moment, and wrapped the other arm over her shoulders, shivering. Goosebumps danced along her bare arms, and she closed her eyes.

She wondered if everything was like this now. Just plain business. Nothing else. You had to remember to keep your cool. Survival. Bitterness. Only those feelings. You could only spare yourselves. No one had enough to share with others. You couldn't let anyone but your family in. Or you'd have trouble surviving, and no one wanted that. No one wanted to feel what those outside of the suburb walls felt.

But maybe Temari did. Her mother had said many times she was a wild child. She was. She didn't care. She was always constantly battling herself. What she wanted verses what she had to do. It was something many people didn't need to think about in times like these.

Times like these. How she laughed when she said something like that. She opened her eyes, gazing upwards at the pale curve of her ceiling. Could she do this? Keep living without feeling guilty? Could she do this? Keep thinking of others while risking her own life? What of what her _mother_ wanted? What of what her _father_ wanted?

Restless, Temari turned her head to the side and opened her eyes. Off to the left of her bed, sitting on her side table, was a crystal vase. And inside was a glass flower.

To Temari, it was pathetic. A fake rose. It was one of the most popular decorations for the rich. The new craze. There were no more real flowers, so they were all made of glass, sculpted perfectly, clear and glinting with rainbows. A laughable thing, though. Such an idiotic excuse for a plant, for beauty. While it was supposed to cheer her up, it only made Temari feel hopeless.

There were no more flowers. There was no more beauty. There was nothing.

That night, Temari dreamt of lilies. She leaned down and plucked one from sparkling, dew-stained grass. Beneath her pale fingers, the petals felt like satin.

* * *

The next morning, Temari woke but didn't open her eyes. She lay on her side, her arms wrapped around herself, shivering beneath the thin silk sheets. It was cold. Winter was coming soon. She wondered how many people would die. It was awful. She shouldn't be thinking about it. She let out a low sigh and opened her eyes.

That morning, Temari realized three things.

One, the lights were on.

Two, there were three men in silvery uniforms and helmets standing around her bed.

Three, she must have been a true burden to her aunt; Kaori was arresting her.

* * *

"Stop it, you have the wrong girl, I swear!" Temari yelled desperately as she was dragged down the sidewalk, still in her clothes from the day before, thrashing around and letting loose frustrated curses. "Let me go, damn it! Stop it! Do you know who my dad is?!"

"We are fully aware." The man that was pulling her along by the arm painfully, his gripping gloves tight and stretching her skin, said emotionlessly. "But we have our orders. We must arrest who we are told to arrest without question, no matter the significance of the person." The other two men were already in the car, talking into little devices that looked like mini-walkie-talkies.

"I didn't do anything! I never broke the law!" Temari insisted angrily, seeing the solar-powered car pulled up in front of the sidewalk in the middle of the street. People around town stopped and stared, gawking at the car and then watching the woman being arrested. It was always a scene to see someone in the suburbs arrested that wasn't a thief. A thief being arrested was abnormal as well, because the police force were mainly stationed outside the walls, and thieves were just too hard to catch these days anyways.

"Miss. Kaori said that she wants you in jail for the rest of the week." the police man said simply.

"You idiot! I was just pranking her! Let me go, you fucking dumbass!"

"This aught to shut you up."

Suddenly there was a searing pain in her arm. Temari cried out and stared as he pulled a sort of black band out of his pocket and locked it onto her arm. It felt as though he was burning her with a hot iron rod. The skin that the band touched, which was tight and fitted perfectly around her lower left arm, stung and nearly hissed. When he let go of her and she wrenched her arm away from him, gasping in shock, the pain went away, but the band stayed. She opened her mouth to say something, but she found something was wrong.

Temari learned one more thing that morning; she couldn't talk.

"Nn!" She didn't know what was going on, her mind swam. She just…_couldn't_. She didn't know what was going on. She could make noises and yell meaninglessly, but she couldn't find a way to say words.

"This band sends a shock up to your brain, triggering a special area of your memory." The police officer explained not-so-gently as he pulled her along harshly by the other arm. "You are temporarily unable to form words."

It was like she was a baby again, except she could understand what he was saying. She felt dizzy, sick, confused. What was she supposed to do?! A crowd had formed around the car now, and the officer barked. "Make way, we're bringing in this girl here!"

The crowd parted quickly, but one man in the crowd was slower to retreat. His eyes were glued to Temari discreetly. She noticed and it sent shivers down her spine as she kept her head low. She didn't want people to recognize her as Temari Subaku, the general's daughter, being arrested.

All of a sudden the man holding her dropped to the ground. Temari gasped as he let go of her, and she stared, mouth agape, as he simply lay there. Not bleeding, not dead. Knocked out. And the thing that had hit him on the head was a rock, a large black, charred rock.

She looked up to see who it was, but suddenly someone was pulling her along, saying, "Gotcha."

She yelped as she looked up to see who was pulling her along, but he was going too fast and she could barely keep up. Finally he let her go as they rounded a corner, the two stumbling to a halt, breathing hard.

The man gave a simple laugh, and she stared at him as he bent over to catch his breath. He had dark hair, pulled into a stiff ponytail, and even darker, hooded eyes. He finally looked up with a raised eyebrow. "What's with you, why-?"

He stopped talking, and his dark eyes widened, surprised. He was pale, she noticed now. Malnourished, skinny, but muscular, and he was gruff and attractive. His nose dipped long and straight on his oval face, and he didn't dress very nicely.

"You're…not…Matsuri…" he said slowly.

"Uh…?" was the only thing Temari could let out, the black band still affecting her.

"Oh shit, I screwed up!" He slammed a fist into the grey building on the left side of the alley furiously, clenching his jaw. "God damn it, I thought you were Matsuri, your hair and outfit looked _just_ like her! Shit, shit, shit! I'm _screwed_ for this! I mean, someone in _your_ clothes would _never_ be caught dead getting arrested, I thought it _had_ to be her! God damn it!"

Temari groaned, a hand to her head, wishing he wouldn't speak so loudly. Not listening to her, he only did worse and slammed his forehead into the wall. "Nn!" she cried, running forward and wrenching the idiot away from the wall so he wouldn't knock himself out.

"Let go of me!" The man flung her away from him, still facing the wall. "You wouldn't want to touch a thief, would you, you rich pig?"

Temari paused, staring at him. He was a thief.

"Heh. Maybe I should give you what's coming to you, maybe I should turn you in for money!" The man said, turning to her with a sneer.

"Nn!" Temari raised her hands quickly, backing up, her eyes widening. She couldn't. She wouldn't be able to survive in prison, she wasn't meant for that kind of thing. She was scared, confused, she wanted to throw up. She wanted to _talk_!

The man stared at her, the expression of fury only lasting a while longer. It slowly faded, and he heaved a sigh, looking away and putting a hand up to rest on the alley wall. "Okay, okay, sorry. You didn't ask me to save you, and it was my fault anyways, I thought you were someone else." He looked up, and Temari cringed, then glanced around the alley apprehensively. She'd never had to run from the police before, and she doubted she would last very long. This was getting too much for her to handle.

She noticed out of the corner of her eyes the man advancing, and she pressed her back to the wall, head snapping back to him, narrowing her eyes. If she'd have to fight her way out of this, she would do her best, even though she knew she didn't stand much of a chance against a thief. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, then opened them again and prepared herself.

But he chuckled and held up his hands, almost in mock surrender. "I'm not gonna hurt you, alright?" He watched her. "I'm Shikamaru Nara. I'm a thief. Do you trust me?"

Temari blinked, then relaxed a bit, hoping he wasn't a sadistic liar. He sighed, scratching the back of his head, and she stepped forward from the wall again, relieved. He looked back at her. "What's your name?"

Temari blinked. She made a sort of strangled noise and bit her lip, glancing side to side, trying to find some way to communicate. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "What's up with you?" She decided to use her hands for now, and pointed to her throat. He stared. "You…have a cold?"

She groaned and shook her head, then pointed to the black band on her arm. Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Oh!" He gazed down at it. "Wow, I've only seen that a few times in my life…" he said, taking her arm gently in his hands and looking the band over.

Temari sighed in relief. He knew what it was. Shikamaru glanced back up at her. "Hell, you poor thing…" he muttered, sighing and letting her go. She bit her lip. Was it that bad?

"Well, I know someone who can try to get it off." He held out a hand gently. His eyes caught hers and locked on, staring straight into them. "If you can trust me."

Temari stared down at his large, calloused hand, then back up to him. She nodded and placed her hand in his.

He smiled a bit. "Alright, then, come with me." he said, letting go of her and turning around.

She smiled too and nodded, happy. She felt a little odd, trusting a thief.

And yet, contrary to what her mother had told her a million times, her instincts _told_ her to trust him. And it was _exciting_, trusting a thief! She'd never felt like this at all!

And so, regretting it, and wanting it, she followed him slowly and warily out the alley. Not knowing what her fate was to be.

And yet, not knowing was better, sometimes. As they walked, she turned her face to the sky. The clouds were turning whiter. Today, at least. Not so black, not so grey, more a pale, creamy color, of vanilla. It reminded her of satin gowns back at home. She smiled and looked forward.

She gave in. Though she was scared and confused and sick to her stomach…there was a sort of adrenaline and power inside of her chest that told her she was mean to do this. _This_ was what she wanted. And so, she bid farewell to satin gowns.

At least for the moment.

* * *

Shikamaru had led Temari through the crowded streets warily, always on alert, without getting them caught, a feat Temari thought impossible, or hard at least, but he made it seem so easy, blending in with the crowd and making sure his right arm was pressed to her left at all times so no one saw the black band.

Now, they had entered a small Inn, and Shikamaru was now walking with her up the creaky wooden stairs, muttering something to himself.

"I think it was the third room, but I'm not sure, I don't remember what she told me…" he said distractedly as they rounded the steps to the second story and walked along. He took a deep breath and let it out. "Well, I'm gonna give room three a try." he decided aloud. Temari rolled her eyes. He talked to himself a lot, he obviously _desperately _needed a life.

Shikamaru knocked on the door three times. There was a noise, as if someone was peering through the peephole. Then the door opened, and a brunette girl a bit smaller than Temari grinned. Temari noticed she had the same hair color that Temari had dyed her hair. Apparently this was the 'Matsuri' Shikamaru had mentioned.

"Oh, who's this, Shika?"

Temari snorted a bit at the nickname and Shikamaru glared at her before dragging her inside. "I dunno her name, Matsuri, they put a 'brand' on her."

A 'brand'. So that was what the black band was called. She looked down at her arm, and then noticed Matsuri nodding slowly, seeing it as well.

"Um, okay. And you're helping her _why_?" Matsuri asked, turning back to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru sighed. "Because I saved her and thought she was you, and I figured I might as well help her out to make up for being a jackass to her after I figured out it _wasn't_ you. Get it?"

"Got it."

"Good."

Matsuri looked Temari over, who shifted uncomfortably and looked around the room. It was just a one-room Inn with a bathroom, and a window on the far wall. She saw a lump on one of the two beds covered by blankets, which moved, rising and falling slowly; a person sleeping, probably.

"She's pretty!"

Temari flushed and Shikamaru twitched. Matsuri ran over and stood in front of Temari, holding out a hand. "I'm Matsuri, Shika's cousin. It's nice to meet you!"

Temari stared at her, then laughed a bit and shook her hand almost shyly. She was nice enough. Matsuri smiled. "I love your outfit, by the way." Temari wished she could say 'Thanks, I guess…', or at least say _something_. She settled with a smile as Shikamaru stretched, groaning a bit, to their left.

He looked at Matsuri. "Where's Chouji?"

"Well Kiba's sleeping over there." Matsuri said, pointing to the bed. "He was up all night. And Chouji's in the bathroom."

As if on cue there was a flush from the door next to them, then later the sound of rushing water. Shikamaru nodded.

"Alright. Well, has he got a scythe on him?"

Temari's eyes widened. "Eh?!" she cried, shocked.

Shikamaru glanced at her. "Not a real scythe, don't be stupid. It's a tool used for getting the brands off. We got it from an officer." Temari kept staring at him, and he sighed. "I don't _know_ why it's called a scythe, it just is. Calm down."

Temari exhaled slowly. The names things had these days…

The door to the bathroom suddenly opened and a chubby man emerged. He smiled. "Shikamaru, hey, what-?" He paused and looked Temari over. "…Who's she…?"

"Thought she was Matsuri, saved her ass, and now we're helping her." Shikamaru explained dully.

Chouji blinked and looked Temari over one time. "Heh, she's hott."

Temari immediately slapped the man's arm, hard, the smacking sound echoing through the room. She glared at him and turned away huffily. She heard Shikamaru sniggering as Chouji stared on, bewildered and rubbing his arm.

"Okay, okay, sorry…!" He noticed her arm. "Ah, she's been 'branded', huh?"

"Yeah, and that's why we need your help." Shikamaru said, walking over to Temari. "Got your scythe with you?"

"Yeah, it's in my bag, I'll go get it."

Temari heard Chouji's footsteps retreating to the back of the room, and Matsuri's light ones following as she said happily, "I'm surprised Kiba hasn't even woken up yet, or Akamaru!"

Two people sleeping?

"Hey…" Shikamaru suddenly walked over to her, speaking gently. "You're gonna have to trust Chouji, alright? He's a good guy, he was just joking. He's the one that can get that thing off of you better than the rest of us, it's like his specialty, brands."

Temari glanced at him and sighed, nodding. He smiled and led her towards the second bed, motioning for her to sit, which she did, waiting as Chouji looked around through his bag, Matsuri looking over his shoulder eagerly.

Chouji finally straightened up, and Temari gulped; a silver device gleamed in his large hand. It was like some sort of nail-clipper or can opener, and it looked _painful_. True to her thoughts, as Chouji walked over, he said, "This might hurt a little but it won't injure you or anything. Are you gonna be okay with it?"

Temari nodded slowly, holding out her arm. Anything to speak again.

Chouji stood in front of her and leaned over, taking her arm in his huge fingers and setting the 'scythe' at the crook of the band. He looked up at her. "Ready?" She nodded. "Okay, here we go…" he said slowly, and as he spoke he slipped it through. Temari's eyes widened; it hurt a _lot_! It was literally scraping her skin away, and it _stung_. It was squeezing her arm, too. She bit her lip, but a hand on her shoulder soothed her, and so the tear that pricked her eye did not fall. "You okay?" Chouji asked. She nodded, closing her eyes, although her arm burned like hell. She felt the hand pat her shoulder once; it was Shikamaru's, she knew almost instantly, though how she knew she didn't understand; it could have been Matsuri's, or even Chouji's. But she felt it was Shikamaru's.

"Okay, let's see…" Temari opened her eyes to watch, her heartbeat calming as she got used to the pain. Chouji pressed his thumb down on the device, and the other end of the sharp metal closed down, the gears churning and squeezing together tightly. His hand shook with the strain as the metal sunk into the black band. The pressure on Temari's arm decreased, and she took a deep breath, relieved, waiting.

At last, the band snapped in half and fell to the ground, leaving bloody, red, bruised and irritated skin behind. Temari snatched her arm to herself, rubbing it and frowning. She glanced up and opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but the only thing that came out was, "Um."

"Yeah, you're not gonna be able to speak for a while." Chouji said, straightening up and taking the band carefully in his hands before throwing it in the trash to the side of the room. "It takes a while for the lost brain cells to return."

"Nn?" Temari tried, blinking as she gently patted her aching arm.

Chouji laughed, knowing she meant 'How long?' in her new little language. "It depends how long it takes for the effects to wear off. Some people's cells reconstruct quicker than others'."

Temari found it hard to believe thieves could know this much. But they had saved her, and they had helped her, and so she knew she was forever grateful. Even if they _were_ thieves. Maybe she could help _them_ in the future. But for now, she blushed as her stomach growled loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Shikamaru chuckled. "Hungry?" he asked. She felt a weight lifted from her shoulder and turned to see him taking his hand from her. She was right, it _had_ been him. "Come on, I'll take you out." he said. "Until your voice comes back, we might as well get you something to put in your stomach. You probably didn't get breakfast, right?"

Temari nodded slowly. He smiled. "Well let's get going then. Come on." He looked over his shoulder as he began to leave and Temari hurriedly got to her feet and followed him. "Be back soon guys."

"Alright." Matsuri called with a grin. "Have fun _taking her out_!" she added teasingly, making Shikamaru and Temari both glare at her before they left, the two a little pink in the face.

* * *

"So what are ya feeling like?" Shikamaru asked as they walked along down the sunny street. Temari tried not to be too scared, tried to convince herself she wouldn't be recognized, and meanwhile gave Shikamaru an annoyed look.

He laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Oh yeah, whoops. Sorry. Um…" He looked around. "How about rolls?" Temari stuck her tongue out and shook her head. He twisted his lips and looked around. "Uh, hash browns?"

"Nu uh."

"Yeah, they're really greasy, aren't they?" Shikamaru sighed. "Er…Let's think of something someone rich would like…uh…"

As Shikamaru thought, Temari glanced around and spotted something. A head of long, black hair. Her eyes widened, and she grabbed Shikamaru's arm and pulled him aside into a pastry shop quickly off to the side of the road.

"Whoa! You like pastries, huh?" Shikamaru asked with a snigger.

Temari shook her head hurriedly, forcing him to face her directly and making quick, complicated motions with her hands out of the pastry shop. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Temari knew she'd never get him to understand, and she bit her lip and tugged on his sleeve, pointing directly to her aunt then slashing her finger across her throat.

Shikamaru glanced at Kaori out the window, glaring around the road, the poor avoiding her, then back to Temari, who stared at him desperately. His eyes widened. "Oh! Is…Is she the one that got you arrested or someone?" Temari nodded quickly, smiling brilliantly. He was smart, thank god for that witty brain he had that caught on so fast! "How come?" Shikamaru asked, tilting his head to the side.

Temari sighed and began gesturing around angrily with her arms, pointing to her head and tugging on a strand of her hair then fiddling around with her fingers. Shikamaru put his hands up to stop her. "Okay, okay, don't hurt yourself." he said with a bit of a chuckle in his voice. "Here, do you think you can write on something?"

Temari thought about that and closed her eyes. She couldn't form words…but could she _write_ them still? It wasn't more of a muscle motion, it was a _visionary_ thing. She drew her finger through the air slowly, feeling her name; _Temari_. Perfect. Each character was there.

She opened her eyes and nodded. Shikamaru nodded back then turned. "Okay, stay here for a second, alright?"

Temari shook her head and grabbed his arm, but he pushed her away. "It's alright, she's not gonna see you in here, I doubt she'll even come inside. Just stay off to the door out of sight and I'll be right back, okay?" Temari shook her head again, staring straight at him and placing a fist on his chest, trying to force him to see. He stared down at her, then sighed and took her hands in his and dropped them. "I'll be fine, I promise."

Shikamaru walked off, and Temari watched him go. People entered and exited the crimson-themed shop, glancing at her occasionally but not suspicious. Most of them were rich, or poor with coins they'd found on the road or gotten by working for the rich. Or else they were in the marketing business. All were better off than she was, she thought glumly. At least in her situation. Her aunt was right outside the door, and she was just standing there. She'd never had to run from her aunt before. Of course she'd never pulled pranks on her aunt before this, so she'd obviously crossed the line.

She placed a hand on the cold, smooth glass of the window. Glass. Just like the glass flowers everyone had now a days. It was sad. The cold smooth feeling beneath her fingers. How she wished she could feel a petal again. So soft and delicate and thin. Or the stem, damn and thick and breakable. Fragile. But beautiful.

"Hey, you alright?"

Temari was startled out of her thoughts, and she saw Shikamaru back. She bit her lip and looked away. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes in concern. "What's up?"

Temari shook her head, recovering quickly. She didn't want to worry him, he'd done enough. She looked at something he held in his hand; a mini-notebook and a pencil. He noticed her staring at it and snickered. "Yeah…this was the only thing I could think of…" He looked up. "Well, I think I can afford this place, but it's gonna use up the rest of what I have. So here's the deal, I'll get you something and you can write down the answers to all my questions while we eat. That sound good?"

Temari nodded. Meanwhile she was wondering why he made her smile like this at the smallest thing. Even when he just gave her a tiny bit of attention she felt like grinning.

* * *

Temari and Shikamaru sat across from each other at the small booth off to the side of the shop. Shikamaru had picked something _for_ her, since she couldn't really decide herself, and since she couldn't speak for herself at all anyways, and now they were waiting for the raspberry roll he'd picked out randomly to arrive.

Shikamaru placed his elbows on the table rudely, something she wasn't allowed to do at home. "Alright, then. First question." he said, pushing the notebook and pencil towards her across the table. "What's your full name?"

Temari flipped the flat manila cover over the notebook to open to the first, blank page. She took the pencil and set it on the table. Surprisingly, she could write perfectly. That only annoyed her more; she wished she could talk just as easily. She wrote in her perfect cursive, _Temari Subaku, 21_.

She held it up for Shikamaru to see, and his eyes widened. "Twenty one?" he asked. "Wow…that…Why are you…?" He seemed to have trouble saying what he wanted to say, but Temari knew what he meant, and she took the notebook again.

_My dad's a general in the war. They don't want me._ She flipped the notebook up to show him again, and he nodded.

"That…explains it." He sighed. "I'm nineteen." he said as a response.

She nodded and glanced down at the notebook again. She felt sort of bad for him. He only had a few years to go…

"Well, you answered the question I was going to ask you next, which was your age. So…Why was that lady that you pointed out trying to arrest you? And what's her relation to you?" Shikamaru asked.

_She's my Aunt Kaori, I think there's a stick up her ass sometimes. My mom and servant went to a meeting for my dad with Tsunade, and I was stuck home alone with her, my third cousin, and her servant. She treats both of them like shit, so I started pranking her and she got so annoyed with me she wanted me in jail for a week._

The only sounds as she wrote this as quickly as she could was the tapping of the pencil and the chatting and clanking around them. It felt good communicating at least one way. She passed the notebook to him, and he read it over and laughed aloud. "That's why, seriously?" he asked, looking up at her. She nodded, taking the notebook back. He smirked. "You're not like most rich people, are you?"

_I know._

She flipped the notebook up with a smirk, and he smiled just a bit. Wanting more conversation, Temari pressed her pencil to the paper again.

_In case you're wondering, my hair's not naturally like your cousin Matsuri's. I accidentally dyed it brown when I was trying to get Kaori. It'll wear off in a couple hours._

Shikamaru laughed even harder when he read that. "Wow, you really _are_ weird." he said, shaking his head. Temari twisted her lips, not liking being called that, and he watched her. "Huh…How about this, do _you_ have any questions for _me_?"

Temari thought hard and turned back to the notebook beneath her.

_Why are you helping me, really?_

Shikamaru read that and sighed. "You want me to be honest?" Temari nodded, and he looked at the shiny top of the table. "Then I have no clue." Temari's eyes widened, and he looked up at her. "I dunno, just the way I yelled at you makes me feel like crap, and…the way you looked at me then…I…" Temari's eyes widened as she stared at him. His eyes were changing as he gazed into her own. He was having trouble finding his words. "I felt-"

"Here you go, one raspberry roll."

Shikamaru tore his gaze away from her, seeming confused and utterly shocked that those words had even left his lips. "U-Uh, yeah, thanks."

* * *

Hours later, the sun was settling. Temari sat in the small room in the Inn on the bed that they'd given up to let her use. Shikamaru's friends were…amusing, she had to admit, smiling to herself. Kiba was crazy, of course, and so was the dog Akamaru that at first she'd mistaken for another person before she saw the little dog curled up at Kiba's feet. Matsuri was fun, and she and Temari spent their time giggling together as she asked Temari questions about what it was like being rich, in which she answered in the little notebook, which was slowly filling up with answers to everyone's interrogations, and then asked _her_ questions about what it was like being poor. Shikamaru and Chouji would watch them, amused.

Temari noticed how Shikamaru was almost fond of her now. Almost protective, like a father. She laughed to herself now. The four were all down in the lobby at the moment, pitching the few coins that they had together to pay for another night in the Inn. They'd told Temari to stay there just for a bit, and now she stared out the window at the sunset sky. Orange, glowing. It was the one time of the day where the sky was anything other than grey, black, or a strange, off-white. It was beautiful, that sky. Just temporarily, but enough to move her heart.

"Temari?"

Temari turned and nodded at Shikamaru as he entered. He sighed. "The others started getting in an argument over who should pay more, then Akamaru ran away, and they're off to chase after him. Told me to watch over you and make sure nothin happens."

Temari blinked, confused. Knowing she was wondering what could happened, Shikamaru sat next to her and explained. "The police will probably be looking for you. You're rich, after all. Perfect target."

Temari turned away from him. She wished he'd stop referring to her as rich. Was that all he saw her as?

Shikamaru seemed to understand why she was facing the other way and quickly put a hand to her shoulder. "Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to make it seem like you're some sort of pig…" Temari turned to give him a look, and he grimaced. "Oh yeah, I called you that at first, didn't I…?" he muttered. He sighed. "Listen, I just…I didn't really know you then, okay?" he said. His hand hadn't moved from her shoulder, and she was very conscious of that, along with the fact that he seemed to be even closer than before, staring straight at her.

"Temari, I don't think you're some rich pig, okay?"

"Okay."

Shikamaru smiled, then suddenly both of them stiffened.

"Okay, did I just…?" Temari said. It was silent as Shikamaru just stared at her. She grinned. "_Yes_!"

Shikamaru covered his years. "Troublesome…quiet down!" he snapped as she jumped to her feet excitedly.

"I haven't spoken the entire day, of course I'm gonna be loud!" she cried as she turned to him, beaming.

He watched her, a frown on his face, then it faded slowly and turned to a smile. "Yeah, yeah. Sit down again before you have a stroke." She did so, but she bounced a bit on the bed, giddy. She could finally talk. He turned to look at her. "Temari…"

"Huh?" she turned as well. "What is it?" she added, liking the ability to speak.

"You speak just like how I thought you would" he said slowly, not looking away from her or flinching for a second. "I…I like your voice." he admitted.

Her eyes widened, she felt herself blush, and she smiled just a bit. "U-Um…Thanks, I guess…" she said, laughing slightly. Then she turned around. "Actually, uh…thanks for everything." she said.

He smiled. "No problem. Again, I don't know why I'm doing it."

"But you're doing it. That's what counts." she said softly. "Shikamaru."

His eyes widened when she said his name, and she realized that was the first time she'd said his name as well. She liked it. The way it rolled through her tongue and teeth. It felt _right_ to say it. His name. It felt like poetry. It sounded like music.

"Hey guys!" Matsuri entered the room and spotted them, gazing at each other. They jumped apart quickly, but it was too late. She had seen it. She dumped the little dog in her arms to the ground, who ran forward and yapped at everyone's ankles as they all entered and closed the door, and she grinned slyly. "Well…" she said softly, but loud enough for them to hear. "Interesting. Very, _very_ interesting."

"What is?" Kiba asked, running after Akamaru and picking his struggling, squirming body up off the floor again.

"Nothing, nothing." Matsuri sang, but she gave Shikamaru and Temari a meaningful smirk that both of them tried very hard to ignore.

"Hey, I can speak now, by the way." Temari said suddenly with a smile.

The three all froze, then grinned. "Aww, your voice is so nice, Temari!" Matsuri cried. "It's so refreshing!"

Temari laughed. "Thanks? But now I don't have to write on this stupid thing." she said, holding up the notebook that was on her lap.

"Hey, I bought that for you." Shikamaru muttered.

"I'm gonna keep it, don't worry." Temari said, giggling at the joking sneer he sent her way.

"Your voice is quite feminine." Chouji remarked randomly, sitting on the other bed.

Temari blinked and coughed. "Um, yeah, well, I should hope so." she said, rolling her eyes. "I _am_ a female after all."

"Yeah, that was a little rude, dude." Kiba said quietly, poking the larger man's arm. "Rich girls don't like us saying that shit, ya know."

"Hey, stop acting like I'm some sort of different species!" Temari snapped, and Shikamaru laughed.

"Nice, you can actually stand up for yourself now." he said, standing and stretching. He turned to look out the window. Now the sky was darker than before, and the stars were poking out. Eager to be of use. Although they could barely be seen beneath the clouds and behind the glare of the city lights. "Looks like it's time to get some sleep." he said reluctantly. "We'll have to wake up tomorrow. And we'll figure out what to do with _you_." He pointed to Temari, who glared at him.

"It shouldn't be hard." Matsuri said. "We've dealt with worse than helping people like her." She turned to Temari with a beaming smile. "Don't worry, Temari, just cause you're rich doesn't mean you're not cool! We'll help you, cause I like you a lot!"

"Yeah, I have to admit, you're not bad. Better than I thought." Kiba said kindly.

"Feelings are mutual." Chouji said with a shrug.

"And we _all_ know how Shika feels! _Right_ Shika?" Matsuri cooed, her secretive meaning threaded slyly into her words. Shikamaru blushed a bit visibly and scoffed, rolling his eyes but not turning it down. Temari noticed and smiled just a bit.

Things were looking up just a bit.

If only for the moment.

* * *

Temari woke in the middle of the night to nothing in particular, more like her strange dream. She lay sideways in the pitch black on top of the bed. Matsuri was on the other bed across from her, and the three young men lay on the ground on piles of pillows and blankets.

As she lay there, she heard a sort of rustle or flutter near the window which was right next to the foot of her bed against the wall. She sat up slowly, yawning a bit and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Ah, sorry, did I wake you up?"

Temari glanced over to the window. Shikamaru sat there on the sill, watching her with a guilty expression on his face.

"No, you didn't." she assured him quietly, sitting up near her bed and looking around to see the other three still asleep before turning back to Shikamaru. She saw some small paper photos in his hand, which he had been flipping through, causing the rustling noise. "What're those?" she asked, scooting along the edge of her bed and close to him curiously.

He looked down at them, his expression unreadable. "…Just old pictures of my parents…" he admitted.

"Can I see?" Temari asked hesitantly. She loved looking at photos, even if they had nothing to do with her. Memories of what the world _used_ to be like. Colors, animals. Anything to remind her of what life was.

"…Sure…" Shikamaru handed them to her, and she looked at the first one on top. It was a man, hair and eyes just like Shikamaru's, but the man was older and more drawn and skinny. Not so muscular.

"My dad." Shikamaru was suddenly sitting next to her, looking over her shoulder.

She watched him. "Where is he now?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed. "He left me and my mom and cousin to go to war."

Temari's lips parted. "I'm…sorry." she mumbled.

"Hah, it's okay. He was a jackass." Shikamaru said with a bit of a grin, leaning back and crossing his arms behind his head nonchalantly.

"What happened to your mom?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes. "She was killed." he said darkly. "We used to live in the city. One day me and Matsuri went out just for an hour to try and find some food or something. When we came back, our house was burned to the ground, and I found my mom's necklace in the ashes. She was burned alive."

Temari's eyes widened. "And…that's when you came to the suburbs…?"

"Yup. Thought that at least we could make a new start. Chouji was my friend from school, his dad went to war too, and we found him on the way there just walking around mindlessly trying to find something to eat. He'd made friends with Kiba and Akamaru. We just decided to go to the suburbs where it was safer and make a living off of pick pocketing and taking food from the rich." He sighed and opened his eyes again. "It's the only way we _can_ live…"

Temari flipped to the next photo, fingers slipping clumsily as her mind filled to the brim with thoughts. This one was of a woman with long, soft brown hair and a brilliant smile. "Your mom?" she guessed.

"Yeah." Shikamaru said, a bit of a sad, longing smile on his face as he looked over her shoulder.

"She must've been really pretty." Temari remarked.

Shikamaru nodded. "She'd always yell at me and dad for sleeping too much, or if we were lazy or something. Sometimes I thought she was just plain nuts. But dad said she had a good smile every time I complained to him." Shikamaru scoffed. "He shouldn't have left her, then."

Temari blinked suddenly. Something struck her, she was realizing something. "Hey, I think I know what's going on here…"

"Huh?" He glanced down at her. "What are you talking about?"

She frowned up at him. "You left your mom too, you know. When you and Matsuri went to get food. And you thought it was for the best, right? You did it for her." Temari placed a fist in her palm, thinking. "So what if your father left for you guys!" she said, her voice hushed so she wouldn't wake the others but excited.

Shikamaru stared at her, then laughed. "You have no idea what you're talking about." he said, chuckling.

She paused and sighed. "Fine, whatever you say." she muttered, giving up. She looked through the pictures some more, all of his parents, and as she did so, she talked. "So you had a nice life before the war?"

"Yeah, a normal one." Shikamaru said, turning away from her to look out the window. "I was gonna go to college soon. A university."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah…" He smirked. "I wanted to be a teacher.."

Temari giggled. "You'd probably be a good one, I'm sure."

He smiled. "What about you?"

"Ah…I was a little _too_ ambitious…" she said meekly. "I wanted to be a singer."

"Whoa, really?" Shikamaru snickered. "That's a little bit of a useless dream now, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Temari said dully. "I had an album already, a record deal, a few sponsors, everything. I thought I was on my way, you know?"

"Sounds like you were on the right track."

"Yeah, but then they destroyed every essence of music." Temari said, pouting. "No more CD's, CD players, iPods, mp3's, anything. And sooner or later we're gonna forget those kinds of things even existed in the first place."

"Well isn't that the same with everything?" Shikamaru asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Like…" He stared at the ceiling, nostalgia clouding his eyes. "Leaves. Trees. Grass. Snow. The clouds. Flowers." Temari watched him. "Aren't we going to forget about green and white? We'll forget that clouds aren't black. We'll forget that the flowers aren't glass."

"I hope we don't."

"But we're going to."

"How do you know? Like, for sure?"

"It's just common sense. Until the world finally just ends, we'll think this is what it's supposed to be."

"But it's _not_!"

"That doesn't matter."

"There's nothing we can do, then?"

"Nope. But life's not pointless. If it was, we'd all be dead. We'd all kill ourselves if we didn't want to live. Something keeps us alive."

"What…is it…?"

Temari realized how close she was. She and Shikamaru had eventually gotten to staring into each other's eyes, closer and closer. As if they were intrigued by their own words.

"Other people…" Shikamaru murmured as his eyes scanned hers.

"Other people keep us alive…" Temari gathered in a whisper. For some reason she couldn't look away.

"Yeah…" Shikamaru said softly. His hand suddenly slid on top of hers.

"Each other…"

"…Shikamaru…?" she breathed, feeling shaky.

He seemed to be jolted back into his senses and pulled his hand away slowly. "We should…probably get some sleep." Shikamaru said, wrenching his gaze away from her almost reluctantly.

"Y-Yeah…" Her heart was racing as Shikamaru took the photos and walked away, and she lay down again, pulling the blankets around her. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself, as usual when she lay in bed at night with thoughts of the loss of the world, not to cry.

That night, she dreamt of flowers. They looked so soft among her bare feet, tempting. But when she reached down to touch them, they turned to glass and shattered beneath her fingertips.

* * *

"Damn it, Akamaru!"

"Sh, she's still sleeping, dog-breath!"

"I'm hungry, how long's she gonna sleep?"

"She's exhausted, _genius_, wouldn't you be after a day she had to go through like yesterday?"

"Kiba, Matsuri, stop arguing."

"Okay, okay, fine Shika."

"Quiet, Matsuri! And you tell _me_ to shut up?"

"Shika, tell him to screw off!"

"Pay me."

"I'd really like to kill you guys." Temari mumbled as she sat up.

"Wait in line, sweetheart." Shikamaru said with a yawn. Temari blushed at the nickname and scowled as she swung her legs around the side of the bed and ran her hand through her hair. She looked around. "Where's…?"

"Chouji's takin' a walk. I think he's trying to get some food." Kiba said.

"Or lose weight." Matsuri said with a scoff. "Hah. Good luck."

"That's kinda harsh." Shikamaru noted. "At least he has his sights set on _something_. The only goal _you_ have is to get all the clothes you want."

"Shut up!"

"Ouch! Why'd you hit me?!"

"At least I'm not a lazy _ass_!"

Temari grinned a she watched with an exasperated expression Matsuri smack an annoyed Shikamaru on the arm, Kiba, amused, on the sidelines cheering them on.

"Guys!"

Suddenly Chouji came crashing through the door, slamming it loudly behind him, so hard that the walls vibrated and Temari saw a bit of dust sprinkle down in front of her nose like snow. He leaned over, breathing heavily, pink in the face from running.

Matsuri halted and stared. "Chou, what's wrong? What happened?"

"G-Guys, they're here, the police!" Chouji huffed. "Temari, I think their detectors could sense you, they're downstairs searching people for ID's!"

"W-What?" Matsuri cried.

"Temari, you're twenty one?" Kiba gasped. Temari nodded slowly, still registering what was happening, and Kiba swore.

"Guys, calmed down, you should have figured it out like Chouji." Shikamaru said suddenly. "We're gonna get out of here, okay? I know a place we can stay."

"With Asuma?" Chouji asked.

"With Asuma." Shikamaru confirmed.

"Asuma?" Temari asked, confused. But Shikamaru, nor anyone else, did not answer her. Shikamaru stepped over to the window and wrenched it open. He exhaled and turned to Temari and Matsuri.

"Ladies first."

Matsuri grinned. "Got it!"

"Wait, what…" Temari's voice faded as she watched Matsuri climb onto the sill, grasp the drain pipe on the brick wall outside, and slide out of sight. Temari's mouth dropped open. "You've gotta be kidding me." she whispered.

"Sorry, sweetheart." Too distracted by the nickname again, Temari couldn't stop Shikamaru wrapping his arms around her, picking her off the ground, and slipping one arm beneath the crook of her legs so he was holding her almost bridal style, but a little more protectively. And then, there was a rushing wind, the colors around her blurred, and then there was a thump and she was on her feet again outside on the dusty cement beneath the window of the Inn.

It all happened so fast Temari's head started to hurt. Unfortunately, it hurt a little unnaturally for just plain shock or nausea.

"…Temari, you okay…?"

Shikamaru's face suddenly popped in front of hers, and she stumbled back, startled, and fell to the ground. She was dizzy for some reason, and she felt sick to her stomach.

"Hey, Temari?!" She felt his hands sitting her up from behind and she put a hand to her forehead, groaning just a bit. Her head was pounding. "Temari, looking at me." she heard Shikamaru order, concerned. "What's wrong?"

She heard Chouji and Kiba running over and felt Matsuri's hand pressed to her forehead. It retreated quickly. "Oh wow, she's burning up like crazy." Matsuri said, sounding shocked and scared. "That's one hell of a fever…Temari, hey, are you alright?"

"Oh shit, I forgot about that…!" Chouji's voice said. Meanwhile, Temari's vision was blurring and so fuzzy that she had to close her eyes for fear she'd retch from dizziness as the world began to spin.

"What? Does she have the flu or something?" Kiba asked. "Yo Temari, are you sick or what?"

"No, she's not sick. But there can be some side effects from being branded." Chouji's voice explained. Noises were shifting uncomfortably in her ears, but she forced herself to listen, straining to know what was wrong with her. "If she's put through a lot of stress after the brands been affecting her brain like that her body will react badly and pretty much knock her out. She can probably hear us right now, but there's no way she'll be able to talk, so it's no use asking her so many questions."

"Ah, great, what a perfect time for this to happen." Kiba muttered.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner before Shikamaru grabbed her and threw her out a window?!" Matsuri snapped.

"Sorry, forgot."

"Temari, it's gonna be okay, alright? It's not gonna kill you, just relax, we're gonna get you out of here." She thought she vaguely felt Shikamaru's hand brush her face briefly, though her skin was tingly and it could have been anything.

"--Yeah--okay, I have--"

"--then, yeah, so--"

"--think--but they--"

"--it, okay, let's--"

Their voices were coming in and out of focus. The last thing she felt was Shikamaru holding her, the last word that made sense was him saying her name.

"--got--now--it's fine--…_Temari_…"

* * *

"She sure likes to sleep."

"Leave her alone, Matsuri, you'll wake her up."

"I'm not even near her, Chou."

"You guys say _I'm_ loud?!"

"Kiba, you're being loud right now."

"Oh stuff it, Shikamaru."

"Pay me."

Temari sighed and glared at the group of people arguing, still not noticing that yet again they'd woken her up. She sat up, and only when the bed creaked did they stop talking and turn around.

Shikamaru smiled sheepishly. "Uh…How are you feeling…?"

She shrugged. Her heard still hurt, and she felt nauseous, but she wasn't dead or throwing up.

"Try saying something." Chouji directed. "Maybe the side effects are wearing off now too."

Temari closed her eyes and put a hand to her head. "I…want…"

"What do you want?" Matsuri asked eagerly. "Food, water?"

"…I want to…kill…you guys…"

There was a silence, then Kiba and Shikamaru burst out laughing. "Hey, with your rich daddy, you probably could." Matsuri teased with a giggle.

Temari rolled her eyes and looked around as they calmed themselves. She seemed to be in the bedroom of a small, one-story house, sitting on the queen-sized bed where she'd been sleeping. The single window was boarded up, and the door was closed.

Temari's vision suddenly turned white as her head gave a particularly painful pound. "O-Oww…!" she stuttered in surprise.

"You okay?" A hand was to her head, and it felt like Shikamaru's again. She blinked furiously and her vision returned and the pain went away. She saw a black shirted, muscular chest and leaned back instinctually, embarrassed and in awe; Shikamaru.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine…" she mumbled. "I'm gonna try standing."

"Want me to help?"

Temari thought about being so close to him and tried not to blush. "I don't care."

"Okay, here." An arm wrapped around her and guided her to her feet. She stumbled a bit, but Shikamaru's hands steadied her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Matsuri grinning like an alligator, and this time she _did_ blush and tried to ignore that.

"I think I'll be fine…" she said almost shyly, and Shikamaru let her go, although slowly, as if he was reluctant to. She sighed and placed a hand on her head. "So where are we again…?" she asked, looking around.

"Well, this place belongs to Asuma and his wife, Kurenai." Kiba explained. "Good friends of Shikamaru's family. They work in the market but they help thieves like us. Good people."

"Where are they now?" Temari felt she should meet them, and thank them in the least.

"They're actually staying at an Inn a little ways South from here in the suburbs, right near the Southern gates." Chouji said. "They're trying to expand their business. So their house is all ours for now."

"But won't the police find us eventually?" Temari asked. "I mean, those freaky detectors they have now, they'll notice me for sure."

"There's a ton of people twenty one in the suburbs, Temari." Matsuri said. "It'll take em a while. Even if they do find you, they won't kill you if they see your ID on you, if they see you're rich. And in the meantime, we have everything we need." She held up a small navy bag.

Temari eyed it. "What's that…?"

Matsuri grinned. "Why don't we show you?"

* * *

"You guys steal weapons from the _police_? You steal from the _police_ too?" Temari asked in wonder. They were behind the small house. It seemed it was in the middle of a dusty nowhere in the suburbs, the smog and outlined cement buildings of the busy villages to the South and the iron gates seen to the North against the horizon. The dirt rose through the sky, glittering with the pathetic rays of sunlight as if they were in a desert.

"Of course we steal from the police as well." Shikamaru said incredulously. "It's only fair. We don't play favorites, thieves."

Temari laughed weakly. "A-Ah…"

Matsuri suddenly dumped the bag's contents on the ground. "Go ahead and play, Temari!" she sang.

Temari bent down to pick something up from the small jumble of silver metallic objects, foreign to her eyes. She recognized the 'scythe' immediately, and saw the black detector that was, fortunately, off at the moment. That would have otherwise flashed green and shown Temari's age on the screen in foreboding digits. She looked at one of the many strange palm-sized glass objects that looked like double-ended light bulbs and took it.

"What's this?"

"It's called a ray bomb." Shikamaru spoke up. "Almost like a hand grenade, but less fire and more power."

"I doubt it's _that_ powerful." Temari said scornfully, turning it over in her hands. It looked pretty weak to her.

"Wrong!" Kiba suddenly put his hands on Temari's shoulders.

Still a little woozy, Temari stumbled a bit, and the ray bomb dropped to the ground.

The second it shattered, there was a sound like a gunshot, and dust billowed around them. Coughing, Temari stared; the hard, dirt-packed ground in front of her was cracked. "I, um, take it back…" she said awkwardly as the dust cleared.

Shikamaru laughed. "Thought you might eventually. I guess you just needed a demonstration. Nice going, Kiba."

Kiba, still shocked by the explosion, said nervously, "Th-That was an accident…" as Akamaru ran around yapping like crazy at the clouds of dust.

Shikamaru walked over and picked up a large, tube-like gun. "Ray gun." he said simply. "I'm guessing you know how it works by now."

Temari nodded slowly. "I've heard of it. Doesn't it soak up UV rays and store em for power?"

"Exactly, same with the bomb."

"Wow." Temari said, staring around at the assortment. "They really like to hide things from the rich."

"Only so you can keep that sickening trusting motivation you seem to have for the government." Chouji pointed out.

Temari glowered. "I never trusted the government. I just kind of…gave up on any ideas of rebellion."

"Why?" Kiba asked. "You're the daughter of a general, you could have so much power!"

"The same reason why _none_ of the rich are rebelling or speaking up or even trying to help anyone." Temari said. "There's nothing to achieve." The others said nothing.

They could only agree.

"No reason to fight…" Temari continued sadly, closing her eyes.

"Then what's the reason to stay alive anymore…?" Matsuri asked quietly, innocently.

To that, Temari could not answer, but she and Shikamaru briefly glanced at each other.

* * *

Temari stared at herself in the mirror of the bathroom of Asuma and Kurenai's house. She felt much better. She hadn't taken a shower in about three days, so now that the brown was out and her hair was back to its shiny blonde, it felt lighter, fluffy, brushing her shoulders gently.

She dressed in some of the clothes Matsuri had picked out for her from Kurenai's drawers, clothes she hadn't dressed in such a way of for a while and clothes her mother would never let her be caught dead in; a purple plaid jacket zipped up, a sort of turtle-neck collar, the sleeves covering her arms, black fingerless gloves, and jeans over black combat boots.

She exited the bathroom and stretched, feeling fresh and new. Then she left the bedroom to enter the kitchen.

The others sat predictably at the scrubbed wooden table, talking. They all stopped and stared at her, though, as soon as she entered. None of them spoke and she stood there awkwardly.

"Um…_what_?" she asked finally.

"You're…blonde…?" Kiba asked, eyes big.

Temari laughed modestly and pulled on a strand of her hair. "Oh, this? Yeah, I'm blonde. I guess I should have told more people than Shikamaru. I was trying to dye my _aunt's_ hair brown but I accidentally dyed my own hair. It just washed out in the shower."

"Temari, you are so _pretty_ as a blonde!" Matsuri squealed. Temari blushed and turned her face away.

"And what's with the kick-ass outfit?" Chouji asked.

"It's _Kurenai's_ kick-ass outfit that _I_ told her to wear, you're welcome." Matsuri said proudly.

"But why are you in it?" Chouji asked Temari more directly. "I mean, you're _rich_. Do you honestly want to wear something like that? Don't you think it's below you?"

Temari scoffed. "Please, I _hate_ wearing skirts." she said, examining the jeans. When everyone kept staring at her she frowned. "What? You have a problem?"

"No, it's just…" Chouji laughed nervously. "How do I say this…"

"You're _hott_!" Kiba exclaimed. Chouji snapped his fingers and nodded, and Temari blushed even more.

* * *

Shikamaru, who hadn't said a word yet, was thinking over the tempting fact of tearing his eyes out so he wouldn't have to endure this torture, meanwhile trying his best not to look at Temari. Not only did the blonde hair matching her striking blue eyes make her absolutely gorgeous, but…

Well, he'd thought she was particularly good-looking before, but _now_…!

For some reason, the way Chouji and Kiba commented and stared at her made Shikamaru want to pummel them.

Matsuri smirked next to him. "They're right, you _do _look hott, Temari! Just ask my cousin!"

Temari blushed, if it was possible, even more. Strike that, Shikamaru wanted to pummel _Matsuri_.

"Sh-Shut up." was the only thing he could stutter, wrenching his gaze away from the stunning young woman in front of him regretfully, immediately wishing he could stare at her all day.

"That's a yes!" Matsuri sneered.

"I said shut up, you brat!"

Temari laughed shyly.

Suddenly, the detector in Shikamaru's hand on the table top vibrated, lighting up a bright green. On the screen glowed a few numbers; _27, 31, 28_.

"Shit…!" he gasped, standing.

"What is it…?" Temari asked. Akamaru, out of nowhere, started yapping.

"Shhh!" Kiba grabbed the dog, threw him into the bedroom, and closed the door, calling, "Stay, boy!"

"The police?" Chouji asked, standing with Matsuri.

"Looks like it, but we can't be sure." Shikamaru said, concentrating himself. He turned to Temari. "Stay here, we'll go check."

"What?!" Temari asked incredulously as the others grabbed their bags and stood by the door. Suddenly she ran over to him before he could even move. "No, I'll come too!"

"Temari, they're looking for _you_." Shikamaru said exasperatedly, looking down at her and turning to face her.

Her teal eyes flashed with a determination Shikamaru had never seen before as she said something that made his heart lurch in his chest. "There's no way I'm leaving you, Shikamaru."

He stared down at her as she held onto his arm, and smiled.

"I don't wanna see you hurt, sweetheart." he said softly, brushing the back of his hand against her smooth, pale cheek.

Temari looked as if she was in a trance. "B-But…_you'll_ get hurt…" she mumbled.

"I'll be fine." he murmured reassuringly. "Who do you think I am?"

Everyone else in the room was silent, watching this rare, sweet moment of passionate longing with respect, no one wanting it to end.

But it had to. Shikamaru let her go and walked away. "Stay here, we'll be back soon." he said, returning to business.

As he walked away, his back to the woman that he wanted at that moment to be even _closer_ to than he had just terrifyingly been, he swore to himself that Temari would smile at him one day.

For real.

* * *

Temari sat at the table in a daze.

All she could see was Shikamaru's smoky eyes. All she could feel was his hand on her face. All she could hear was his voice saying 'sweetheart'.

She blushed and closed her eyes, hugging herself. He was so…

She jumped in her seat, snapping out of it, when there was a bang at the bedroom door, and then a frantic scratching sound, and she froze, terrified, her pulse racing and her hands shaking. But then she remembered Akamaru and mentally cursed the stupid dog.

She sighed and calmed herself, relaxing again gradually. She wondered how Shikamaru and the other three were doing. She liked them, she decided confidentially. She looked at the boarded up window. There was a vase with a glass flower inside. As if it needed the sunlight the window would not let in. How pathetic. How sad.

Suddenly, she heard something else. Something at the window next to her. She blinked and narrowed her eyes, leaning closer to the wood, straining to hear. It sounded like a vibration or a buzzing. It sounded familiar.

Her eyes widened, recognizing the sound of a detector. But before she could even _think _of what to do, the window exploded inwards, the wood flying everywhere and the glass vase and flower shattering. The glass littered Temari, glittering like diamonds, and there was a thunk of wood to her head that made her vision go black for the second time that day.

* * *

When Temari woke again, the first thing she noticed was the smell. It stunk, wherever she was, of blood.

She didn't know how she knew what blood smelled like. But she was completely positive that whatever she was inhaling was that certain stank of murder and screams. Whether it was her own or someone else's, she didn't know just yet. She was too tired to check.

Temari could feel now, getting her senses back. She seemed to be lying on her side, eyes closed, on some hard, cold, damp surface that felt rough and grimy beneath her cheek.

She coughed and her eyes opened, and she heard some murmuring.

"Hey, she's awake."

"Do you think we should introduce ourselves?"

"Are you an idiot?"

Temari never thought she'd find herself missing the sound of the four thieves' arguing. Those were familiar, funny, quirky and amusing. These voices were strange, different, hollow, echoing against some unknown walls.

She sat up slowly, her head swimming, and something warm and slimy trickled down the side of her forehead to her jaw and dripped off her chin. She put a hand up clumsily to feel where it was coming from. There was a raised bruise on the side of her forehead just beneath the roots of her bangs. She waited for her eyes to focus and pulled her hand away, feeling it dampening. She blinked a few times, and the first thing she saw was her own blood.

"You okay? Here."

Something cold and wet was pressed to her forehead, refreshing and calming the burning pain that spread beneath the thin skin, washing away the collected perspiration. Temari kept a hand there to keep it, and she groaned. She had never before felt so dizzy and sick.

"Drink this."

Temari heard the voice again and squeezed her eyes shut. It might be poisoned. She had no idea where she was, after all. "No." she managed to say, opening her eyes again defensively.

In front of her crouched a younger woman with hair dyed pink and green eyes narrowed in concern. She frowned. "Well fine, if you'd like to be dehydrated and have that headache all day, be my guest."

Recognizing the tone as she walked away, Temari knew it was alright and grabbed the cup eagerly, tilting it to her lips to sip the cold water. She moaned a bit in relief as if washed over her dry tongue and cracked lips, moistening the sick-tasting inside of her cheeks.

"Lee, sweetie, do you know if there's another rag this one could borrow?" the pink-haired girl asked as Temari finished the cup and sighed aloud, getting to her knees and watching.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, I don't know." A black-haired boy, Lee probably, shrugged.

"Just leave her alone, guys, if she's that ungrateful we might as well not try."

"Ino…" The girl, Sakura, said uncertainly. The said woman sat against the bars of the cement cell they were in, just pitch black darkness beyond the iron door, themselves only lit by a swinging yellow lamp that paled their faces and threw shadows against the walls. Her hair was shiny and blonde, long and in a pony tail, and her eyes ice-blue. Temari was holding a damp rag to her own head that had been soaked with water from the sink against the left wall.

Temari wanted to ask something, but she didn't know what. Fortunately, Ino spoke up.

"Welcome." she said sarcastically, running a hand through the long bangs covering her left eye. "Looks like Shikamaru's done it to another one."

"Wh-What?" Temari asked. Surprisingly, her voice sounded controlled, and she thanked that fact mentally, seeing how intimidating the other blonde was trying to be.

Ino smirked. "Cute, you don't even know."

"Know what?" Temari asked, temper rising but wincing as her head pounded. "Where am I?"

"In jail, smart one, look around." Ino said.

"Ino, there is no need to be cruel." Lee said. He gave a friendly smile to Temari. "Hello. I am Lee, this is my fiancé Sakura and our friend Ino. You were thrown in here by some officers a couple minutes ago, it seems they got a little too carried away and brutally hit your head."

Temari blinked, a little unsettled by his politeness. "N-No, it was a piece of wood…" she said slowly, glancing at Ino distractedly. "How…do you know Shikamaru…?"

"I'm guessing you're rich." Ino said, not answering her question. Temari nodded warily. Ino gave a harsh laugh. "Of course."

"But how do you-?"

"You said Shikamaru's name once in your sleep." Sakura explained with a small smile Temari's way.

Temari bit her lip. Fortunately she was distracted from her thoughts by a bitterly amused look of rage on Ino's face. "What…?" Temari asked warily.

"We used to be rich too. Till I got thrown in here for something I didn't do, and then these two tried to bail me out and got stuck in here as well."

"You were framed?" Temari asked. "What happened?"

"_Shikamaru_'s what happened." Ino snapped. "He used me for entertainment." Her voice rose, lips curling back to show her teeth smiling bitterly. "That's what he does, you know. Takes rich girls, tries to make em think they can trust him, then sets them up."

"That's crazy." Temari said automatically, narrowing her eyes. "I was in trouble and he helped me, it was an accident that the police got me at all."

"An accident? A coincidence? You really think so?" Ino asked. She barked another harsh laugh. "How about this. Did he ever ask you if you trust him? Did take you out to lunch? Did he get you somewhere _alone_ when you got arrested? Did he ever call you _sweetheart_?"

Temari's eyes widened, and her one hand dropped the damp rag from her forehead, which landed on the ground with a wet plop. Ino smirked.

"Sorry to break it to you, but you're nothing but a toy."

* * *

Shikamaru couldn't stop swearing. He wanted to hit something, or some_one_. Temari was gone, the window had been broken, there was blood on the floor, and it was all his fault.

"Shikamaru, just calm down, they didn't _kill_ her." Kiba said as they walked, the other three trying their best to keep up with him as he went faster than necessary.

"He's just mad because they _hurt_ her, Kiba." Chouji said wisely. "And he promised they wouldn't."

"I'm mad too!" Matsuri said with a pout. "She was so funny and cool, you don't find girls like that anymore."

"Only because most of them are prostitutes." Chouji said thoughtfully, and Kiba nudged Matsuri with his elbow as if suggesting something, earning both a moody slap on the arm.

"All of you just shut up." Shikamaru growled. He was furious at himself. How could he have let this happen?! He shouldn't have left her alone. He should have kept her company. He felt like an idiot.

They were on their way back to the villages and markets, towards where Shikamaru knew was the jail. They were going to try to bail her out. He knew the prison rules. They didn't separate by gender anymore. For all they knew she could be stuck in a cell with three rapists.

He swallowed hard and clenched his jaw. He was a thief. He was used to lying. But never before had he felt so torn apart because he had gone back on a promise. And that was because for the first time in his life, he'd meant it.

* * *

"You like flowers?"

Temari watched as Ino examined a glass rose between her fingers. It was clear and glinted in the lamplight, part of a scrunched petal chipped. Ino glanced up and smiled grimly, nodding. "Yes. I used to own a flower shop before the war, I shared it with Sakura and Lee."

"Oh." Temari stared as it turned over and over between Ino's hands. "What about after the war started?"

"It took a while, but flowers just stopped growing." Ino said. "So we replaced them with glass."

"It's sad, really." Sakura said from Lee's arms with a dramatic sigh. "If I didn't have Lee, I would have nothing to live for."

"Can you two still be married?" Temari asked.

"If you're rich you can still be married." Lee said. "As soon as our parents finally let us out of here, the two of us hope to be married immediately." Sakura nodded, smiling dreamily.

Temari blinked. "When were you guys arrested?"

"Now I think it would be two weeks." Ino said. "Only reason we're not out yet is because our parents are in the marketing business, they're too busy. They treat us well here, though, not like the poor. But we still have to sleep in here, and it's disgustingly dreary."

Temari could find nothing to say to that.

"Temari Subaku?"

She looked up at the guard behind the iron bars. She stood. She was definitely feeling better. And yet she felt just as sick as she saw Kaori, standing with her hands clenched immensely behind her back, a stern look of fury on her pointy face.

* * *

Temari knew Shikamaru and the others were shadowing her. Not because they were doing a bad job of it, but because she had the feeling, and that was all she needed.

Kaori would not stop nagging Temari as they were forced to walk back home, the poor gawking at them but avoiding them like the plague. Her clothes, her hair, the dried blood on her cheek, the bruise on her forehead, the dirt on her nose, everything was wrong. Temari ignored every word she said obviously, glancing around, yawning, enjoying the view. It was darker now, her stomach was empty from lack of food. She was thinking of Shikamaru and the others. And how badly she wanted to hit him right now, but knowing she mustn't give the fact away that she'd been with a thief all this time, and so ignoring him.

They followed her all the way home.

As she and Kaori climbed up the high steps to her home, the shadows paused at the corner of an alley between two shops on the farther side of the street. She eyed them, and was so distracted she didn't notice the door being slammed in her face till it was too late. She gasped and stumbled backwards. "Wh…Hey, this is _my_ house!" she yelled through the wood of the door.

"You aren't bringing your filthy self in this house for the rest of the night, girl!" Kaori's voice screeched through the crystal windows. "Maybe you'll learn a lesson and you'll learn to start acting your age, not like some delinquent! This is the last time you put glue in my shampoo and dead spiders on my pillow, child, I promise you this!"

"You don't know what you're doing, you idiot! It's freezing out here!" Temari cried, banging a fist on the door. There was no response except the clacking of Kaori's high heeled stilettos, and Temari let out a frustrated groan and twisted around, sitting on the porch and hugging her legs to herself, pressing her forehead to her knees and resting it there, ignoring the searing pain.

She bit her lip, watching her breath steam in front of her like smoke pipes. It was terribly cold outside, the raw air biting her fingers and pinching her cheeks, drying her lips again, which cracked and tasted of blood as she moistened them with her tongue. She shivered.

"Here."

Temari's head snapped up when something heavy and brown was thrown at her feet. Shikamaru stood on the step below her on the porch, his leather jacket on the ground in front of her and only wearing his short sleeved black shirt. The look on his face was an almost unreadable mixture of guilt and worry, with a tiny bit of relief.

Temari glared at him and got to her feet. "Just don't even talk to me, Shikamaru." she snapped, storming off the porch and walking around the side of her house.

"Temari…" She heard him grabbing his jacket and following after her. "Listen, I'm sorry, alright, I didn't know they were gonna come through the back-"

"Don't lie to me, of course you knew!" she cried, whipping around to face him.

"What the hell are you talking about?! Why would I-?"

"You wanna know who I met in that shit-hole of a prison?" she asked him. She didn't even wait for a reaction. "Ino Yamanaka!"

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "What…?"

"Yeah, remember her? She told me everything, how you used her and me. You made me think I could trust you then threw me in jail…And I _did_ trust you!" She tried not to cry as she yelled this. "I was…stupid for it…"

"No, Temari, that's not it…!" Shikamaru said quickly. "I mean, I admit that I did that to _her_, but-!"

"You admitted it, there you go! You just use people like us!"

"No, don't be stupid, I _never_ did! You-!"

"Oh, don't try to cover yourself up, it's pathetic." Temari said stubbornly. She turned around again, but only because she felt like she was going to start crying any second, just let loose. "Just go away and stay away, Shikamaru."

She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her desperately. "Come on, sweetheart…!" Temari stiffened. "Please, just-!"

All at once a loud smack echoed through the buildings, and Shikamaru stumbled backwards.

"Don't call me that." Temari said quietly, dangerously. Shikamaru stared at her, hand up to his slapped cheek, as she retracted her hand. "Leave me alone. I hate-"

"Got you."

Temari blinked.

It all happened in a second. There was a flash of red, blood flew through the air, and Shikamaru's shoulder seemed to explode as he fell to the ground, showing, behind him, the form of an officer holding up a ray gun, smirking, satisfied.

Temari's mouth fell open. Her heart nearly stopped. Shikamaru struggled on the ground, blood seeping out and staining the cement. The officer's lips curled back in a small smile, eyes bloodthirsty behind his helmet, and he walked forward.

* * *

"_Each other…"_

* * *

Without thinking, Temari jumped over Shikamaru's wounded body and stood there. Just stood there stupidly, arms by her sides.

Obeying her instincts.

The officer hesitated. "What are you doing?" he asked, advancing only a few steps more before halting completely. "Wasn't this man bothering you, Miss?"

"…You…You didn't have to shoot him, you complete idiot!" Temari suddenly yelled.

The officer's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Girl, get out of my way, this man's a thief and he deserves to be taken care of. He _doesn't_ deserve to be saved by prestigious women like you."

Temari glared at him. "You can't make me do anything." she said darkly.

"You may be rich, Miss, but-"

"That's _Temari Subaku_ to you." she said loudly, suddenly. The officers eyes widened. "You know my father, apparently. So if you also know what's best for you, you won't even _touch_ him and you'll get away from my house _now_." She'd never felt more angry, more powerful, more desperate, in her life.

The officer backed away once, his eyes examining her. Then he left with only a small curse beneath his breath.

Temari waited till he was out of sight before turning her back on him and kneeling next to Shikamaru, slowly getting weaker and unable to sit.

"…Shikamaru…" she whispered sadly, pulling him to her, forgetting all about anger and hate and anything she might have felt for him other than concern, worry, and care so deep her heart felt like it would burst.

He smiled a bit, wincing at the pain. "Temari…Listen, I wanted to tell you I would never do that to you…Because you're different than Ino…" he murmured through the agony.

She closed her eyes, and tears squeezed through her lashes. "I-I know…" she mumbled. "I was just…I'm sorry, I…"

"It's okay…" The tears fell from Temari's eyes. This was all her fault. He was hurt like this because of her, his shoulder had been torn from a ray gun because of her, he was pale and shaky because of her, and he was completely drenched in blood because of her.

"Temari!"

"Oh my!"

Temari's head whipped around, and she saw her mother and Chiyo standing there, exiting the solar car. She was covered in Shikamaru's blood, there were bruises and scratches all over her, she was wearing clothes she'd never tried on before, and she was holding a wounded man in her arms as she sobbed over him. But her mother smiled weakly and said, "It seems you've taken my advice."

* * *

Temari stood outside the guest bedroom where Shikamaru was lying. It was the next morning, and she was still in the same clothes, the same state, too bothered by thoughts of him to care about dressing or undressing.

She had told her mother and Chiyo her story, after Kaori had gone home of course, with a sad-to-leave Megumi and Shizune, who told Temari honestly she was whom they'd miss the most, whom they'd miss more than anything, even though they'd only known her two days. She'd told them the truth, every detail, even things that included moments and conversations between her and Shikamaru. Surprisingly, they weren't mad at her. In fact, they seemed rather proud. Her mother had said, "Whatever way you go, I'm sure it will be the right one." Temari pretended not to know what it meant. But she did. Very much so, in fact.

Matsuri, Chouji and Kiba had stopped by that morning asking her if she'd seen Shikamaru discreetly through the living room window, and Temari had assured them of everything that had happened, allowing them to come back for him later that day.

Now, she gathered her courage and entered the room. The door opened. She expected him to be resting, like the doctor who had came and patched him up before leaving and claiming Shikamaru would be fine said he should do to recover. But he was shrugging on his leather jacket, sitting up in bed, fully awake and aware. He looked up when she came in and smiled immediately.

"Hi."

"Hey." she said distractedly, sitting next to him. She noticed the open window and glanced at it, then at him, and he looked away. "Leaving, huh?" she asked softly.

"…Temari…" He sighed and turned to face her directly. "I…I really did think about…staying here…with you." She watched him hopefully. "But…I don't belong here…" he said sadly. She looked away. "And I couldn't bear leaving my family. Also, I couldn't bring myself to drag you away from yours, either." Temari closed her eyes, but he took one of her hands in his, the other hand brushing her cheek again. "Trust me… he murmured, voice sounding pained. "There's nothing I want more than for you to…be with me…but-"

"Shika! Would you hurry?!"

Matsuri's voice was shouting impatiently through the window, and he sighed. "Temari…Please, look at me…" She obeyed wordlessly. He stared into her eyes, hand cupping her face. "I promised I'd see you smile." he whispered. "But I'll have to break it. I'm sorry."

He tried to let her go, but her hand suddenly tightened on his. He blinked in surprise, looking down at her. Suddenly, she was feeling more determined and reckless than she had in her life. "I'm coming too." she said simply.

"Wh…What…?"

"I said I'm coming with you." she said. "You want to see me smile? Take me with you. Go ahead and throw me out the window again. It would be a nice change. It was all a nice change, I _want_ to be with you." Her hand took his other, and as she gazed into his eyes she gave him the best smile she could possibly manage. "Please…?"

Shikamaru's pulse raced beneath her fingertips resting on his wrist, but he smiled back, eyes looking so excited and hopeful it made Temari want to laugh. "You…You're something else…" he murmured, resting his forehead against hers.

She giggled softly. "We're even, then…" she responded.

He grinned and kissing the tip of her nose before pulling her to him. Suddenly everything blurred and the air rushed in her ears and she was dropped to the ground-semi carelessly and steadied soon after.

She stood on the cement beneath her house and took one last look at it, hearing behind her Matsuri laughing maniacally and speaking of Shikamaru and Temari's relationship. Of course she was sad. Leaving her mother and Chiyo would crush her inside eventually. But not seeing the man she loved most again would do even worse to her, and she knew this was what her mother wanted.

_This_ was the right way.

"Come on, let's go home, then." Chouji said, shaking his head at Shikamaru a bit but a small, knowing smirk on his face.

Akamaru yapped from Kiba's arms, who laughed. "Looks like you're not rich anymore, Temari."

Temari rolled her eyes and linked hands with Shikamaru nonchalantly. "Whatever…" she said as they started to walk down the streets. Just a strange band of thieves and their dog. But a family nonetheless.

"Oh, Temari, there's something I forgot to tell you today." Shikamaru said suddenly.

She looked up at him. "What?"

Shikamaru gazed into her eyes. Deep, as if searching for something. Something lost, something that had somehow, by some miracle, been returned to this earth. Like flowers. Like love. They weren't gone if you could still dream of them. Not yet. He had a smirk on his face, almost amused.

"Morning, Temari."

Temari smiled.

This was something he could say to her every day, she realized. And so, at that moment, that little gang of thieves, that little family, all of them, were the richest in Konoha. Rich did not mean money. Rich basically meant a lot of something. And though it wasn't more than enough, they had very much indeed.

Once there were flowers. Lilies, hidden within the pockets of grass and weed. In the summer mornings, their heads would protrude weakly, their white petals soft, wearing in their pastel folds a timeline. They smelled of dew, and they felt, between your fingers, like satin.

* * *

_End Part II_

* * *

There was life that tried to warn us of what was to come. It was all glass and bones, now.

But hope had not died.

"_Not yet."_

* * *

_End_


End file.
